


Where the Wind Blows

by Corinne_Nohrule



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Genre: Hopefully this contribution pleases the Crossover Gods, I promise more characters will appear within this story., I’ll sort out which characters get what important roles, I’m keeping the true identity of the boat secret XD, M/M, Slow Burn, The Golden Deers are pretty much the pirate crew in this., Wind Waker AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:15:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 44,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25957363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Corinne_Nohrule/pseuds/Corinne_Nohrule
Summary: The Great Sea was a vast place filled with islands and azure waters, almost far out beyond the horizon. Within the sea carried the winds, which whispered almost forgotten legends to those who listened closely. But one such legend persevered, left a legacy in a little island in the Great Sea, which was where fate decided to act...Dimitri never really intended to have anything else happen on his birthday, other than to come of age, and wake up tomorrow a year older. However, a chance meeting and a loved one at risk made him reconsider that notion.What started out as a rescue mission will eventually become an adventure in the name of the winds of change.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd & Claude von Riegan, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 43
Kudos: 44





	1. A Coming of Age Gift

**Author's Note:**

> So here is the first chapter in this Wind Waker-Three Houses crossover! Hopefully I can improve as I go on in writing this story (as well as have minimal writing blocks as much as possible :’D).
> 
> Anyways, so here’s gonna be where we meet our hero of the story! Dimitri may come off as a weird choice to be a Link-stand in, but I hope with my writing, he can be a pretty compelling Hyrulean hero. XD  
> (Besides, Dimitri can pass for Link if he wore green and had pointy ears X3c)
> 
> Also, obligatory disclaimer that I do not own these characters, so credit goes to the proper creators and owners.
> 
> Okay, that being said, enjoy!

_Long ago, there existed a kingdom where a golden power lay hidden. One day, a man of great evil found this power and took it for himself, and with it at his command, he spread darkness across the kingdom. But then...just as all hope had died, a young boy clothed in green appeared as if from nowhere. Wielding a blade that repelled evil, he sealed the dark one away and gave the land light. This boy, who traveled through time to save the land, was known as the Hero of Time. The boy's tale was passed down through generations until it became legend._

_And then a day came when a fell wind began to blow across the kingdom, and the great evil once again crept forth from the depths of the earth. The people believed that the Hero of Time would again come to save them. But the hero did not appear..._

_What became of that kingdom...? None remain who know. The memory of the kingdom vanished, but its legend survived on the wind's breath._

_On a certain island, it became customary to garb young boys in green when they come of age. Clothed in the green of fields, they aspire to find heroic blades and cast evil down. The elders wish only for the youths to know courage like the hero of legend..._

* * *

The Great Sea was serene in greeting the morning light, and the light reflected the bright beauty that was the sea’s waters. A small breeze blew by, flowing past the island that had a giant bridge between the gap, and an overlook at the front. Nothing seemed to disturb the tranquil times...

”BROTHER!”

That is, until someone shouted out.

A girl stood in front of her house, looking around for somebody who was currently not around. She went down the steps to her home, quickly strolled across the beach sand. Hand cupped against her mouth, she shouted again.

”BROTHER!!!”

No response again. Ah, well, looks like she had to search elsewhere. The brunette girl’s eyes went towards the overlook, and then promptly made her way there, telescope in hand.

A blonde youth was sound asleep at the lookout’s wooden floor. A bit uncomfortable to lay down at, but from how deep his sleep was, it seemed like that wasn’t a factor. The girl from earlier finally got up to the lookout, and with a pout, she looked at the still-sleeping boy in front of her.

“There you are, Brother!” She called.

Her brother, bothered by the call, got up from his sleep. Eyes drooping, he looked at the empty entryway, and afterwards, got up with a big stretch and a yawn.

”I knew you’d sleep here. You’re the only one who does so on this whole island!”

He got stunned by the voice, and so turned his back to see his sister, looking at him with a knowing smile. His mouth let out a sigh.

”Edelgard, you know I don’t like being jostled from my nap too suddenly...” the teen drawled, rubbing his eyes as he did so.

She huffed. “But this is important, Dimitri. So important that I had to find and wake you.” Edelgard placed a hand on her hip. “By the way, do you even know what today is?”

Dimitri could only stare vacantly in response.

”...You’re still half-asleep, aren’t you?”

”When am I _not_ half-asleep, El?”

”I don’t know when—-wait, don’t distract me.” Edelgard scolded. “As I was saying, did you _forget_ what day it is today?”

Dimitri still looked clueless from her question. Seeing that her brother was basically dense to the situation, she gave a frustrated exhale.

”...Dimitri, it’s your birthday.”

Now he gave a proper reaction: eyes wide and mouth circled with surprise. Edelgard suppressed a giggle.

”Your uncle’s asked me to come look for you, so that he can give you whatever it is he’s got prepared. I’m certain it’s something big, from how urgent he sounded earlier.” Edelgard informed.

”Oh my...” Dimitri chuckled nervously, hand scratching the back of his head. “I guess I better head down there then.”

”You better.” Edelgard jibbed, poking her brother on his cheek. “I’ll be up here doing some sightseeing; do show me what Uncle’s got for you, later.”

He nodded to his sister. “I will, I will.” 

From there, Dimitri descended down the ladder of the overlook, and made his way across Outset Island, all the way to his house, where he, his sister, and his uncle live. Ever since his father and his stepmother (who was Edelgard’s mother) had perished in the Great Sea a few years back, his father’s brother took it upon himself to raise Edelgard and Dimitri on his own with love to fill the gap of their absent parents. Dimitri would forever be grateful for his uncle’s love and care, and hopefully repay him with his own acts of kindness.

Along the way, he waved hello to Hanneman, the island’s leader, who gave a polite wave in turn and a birthday greeting. Another greeting from an islander later, Dimitri entered his home, and made his way up the ladder to where his uncle was standing. 

“Ah, you’ve finally came, my nephew.” His uncle called. “I hope El didn’t wake you up too rudely.”

“No, she didn’t, uncle,” Dimitri bantered lightly. “But I can’t believe that I forgot it was my birthday, of all things...”

Uncle laughed. “Not to worry about it, Dima, what matters is you’re here to see what I’ve got for you.” He grabbed a set of clothes: the top was saturated in the blue green color, the tights being a brilliant white, an undershirt with a lighter shade of blue, all of which were paired with a belt with a buckle in yellow gold.

“As you know, it has been tradition here in our island to have young boys wear important garments when they come of age,” the older began. “To emulate our patron hero spoken of in the legends.”

”The Hero of Time.” Dimitri spoke in.

”That’s right.” His uncle nodded. “And now that you have grown to be the same age the hero was when he did his adventure...it’s time for you to partake in this tradition.”

The older man handed over the clothes to Dimitri, and when the latter finally looked at them closely for the first time...he frowned.

“Long sleeves, Uncle? But the weather is too warm for me to wear these!” Dimitri complained. “I can’t spend my birthday too drenched in my own sweat...”

”Oh, cheer up, Dima! Today’s supposed to be your day!” Uncle chuckled heartily. “I’m sure you’ll find a way to enjoy your new outfit. Besides, it’ll only be for today, then tomorrow, you’ll have your pajamas that you love so much.”

Dimitri remained a bit unsure, but considering there was always tomorrow, he gave in. “Oh...alright...” The teen promptly changed into his new outfit, with his uncle turning away respectfully. Once Dimitri was done, he let himself have a feel for the new attire. It wasn’t bad, all in all, but he didn’t think they were comfortable enough to sleep in.

“Anyways...in the olden times, this coming of age was when boys were finally considered to be men. They were trained in the ways of the sword, fully emulating how the Hero fought valiantly against the evil that plagued his land.” Uncle said, giving exposition to the old days. “Nowadays, we don’t do sword training for boys who come of age, as there wasn’t much need for defending. Here in Outset, it’s Alois who’s the only one familiar with the art of weapon wielding.”

“I see.” Dimitri said, nodding to what his uncle was saying. “Anyways, I better head out; Edelgard wants me to show her your present.”

“Mmm, I get it, nephew.” The older one replied, patting Dimitri on the back. “Anyways, tonight, we’ll be having a big feast for you in celebration. I’ll even get to make your favorite soup.” Dimitri’s eyes lit up briefly; now he truly can’t wait for the party tonight.

”Careful out there, Dima! And tell El that she has to get ready too!” His uncle called out as Dimitri walked out the door.

”I will, Uncle, thanks!” Dimitri shouted in turn.

Now that Dimitri was fully dressed for his birthday, it was time to continue on and let Edelgard see their uncle’s craft. As he made way back across the other side, the blond had thoughts about how exciting it would be to finally be considered a grownup in Outset’s tradition. Of course, while the outfit was still too warm for his liking, at least he could still move freely with the wind breezing about his frame.

He was certain that nothing too out of the ordinary would throw this day off guard.

Nothing at all.


	2. The Boy Who Fell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri had just dressed up for his birthday as part of tradition. While he and sister Edelgard manage to exchange a few words (with a present), there’s something in the sky that gives an unwelcome entrance.
> 
> Said something in the sky drops a person into Outset’s peak (after a boulder’s hurled at it, no less), leading Dimitri to start his rescue of the person in distress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the second chapter of the story! Well, this is where we get a first glimpse at the other major character for this tale (and the other half of the main pairing), Claude! Personally, I was looking forward to this, as Claude taking the role of feisty pirate captain Tetra is something I definitely needed. Even if Claude’s first appearance here is just an unconscious guy in distress.
> 
> Also, Alois is here too, yay!
> 
> (Also, a little side note, I headcanoned that Link’s birthday is December 13, the same day that Wind Waker was first released. Since Dimitri’s birthday happens to be the 20th Day of the Ethereal Moon—-aka December 20—I was pretty ecstatic XD)
> 
> With all that said, let’s get on with the show. :D

Dimitri scooted onward back to the lookout, climbing the ladder to make his way to his sister. Once he arrived, he saw Edelgard looking on at the seagulls that gathered near her. He gave a gentle sigh at this scene; his sister always had a connection with the birds, as she often played with them when they were younger. Even as they are reaching the cusp of adulthood, Edelgard’s fondness for the gulls didn’t change.

El seemed to be aware of Dimitri looking at her, as she promptly turned around to meet his gaze. “You’re back a bit later than usual.”

Dimitri snorted. “Uncle gave a history lesson about the tradition of wearing heroic garb. Heroic garb that is...well, a bit too much to deal with.” Now he wished that his birthday wasn’t situated in one of the hottest times of the year. Anything to have a better fate than pending perspiration.

“I can see that,” Edelgard commented, pointing at his outfit. “You look like you’d be way too warm wearing those clothes...”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, El.” Dimitri deadpanned, beginning to fan himself.

“You’re welcome.” Edelgard replied playfully. “Moving on...while those clothes can be a bit unsuitable for this weather, I guess they look...” She pulled a mock thinking pose, wondering what word to say next. “...neat.”

_At least it’s better than_ _stuffy_...Dimitri thought to himself. He tugged on his clothes a bit; it looked almost regal for a hero to wear, but he guessed that it was his Uncle’s design choice for the garb.

His sister’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “...Dimitri.”

“H-Huh, what?” was the eloquent response of the teen.

“I was about to give you something for your birthday,” she explained. “So, close your eyes for just a moment!”

Dimitri did as he was told. Then he felt a hand open his own and slip something cylindrical on his palm. When that same foreign hand closed his fingers shut, Edelgard’s voice pierced through. “Alright, open them!”

He opened his eyes to find that there was something in his grasp. Dimitri raised a brow. 

“You’re giving me your...telescope?” 

“Indeed! I’m giving to you as something you can have...only for today.” Edelgard ribbed, giggling lightly. But of course, only his sister would impose something like this to him. 

“Well, I’ll make the most out of this anyways...so, thanks, Sister.” Dimitri hummed. His hand moved to pat Edelgard on the head, which only made her roll her eyes in mock annoyance. 

“None of that, Dimitri. I’m older!” Edelgard retorted. 

“But I’m taller, so I have the right.” Dimitri answered as he grinned. He continued patting her head until she wrestled his hand off of her head. “Okay, enough of that. Now try it out! See if you can spot something from here.”

Dimitri held the telescope up to his face. Using his eye, he scoped some of Outset Island’s scenery, from the shore, to the front of their shared house. In front of their house was a red mailbox, and the blond saw that there was someone standing next to it. 

“Hey, El, I’ve never seen a person like him before. Who is he?” Dimitri inquired. 

“Oh, I think it’s a postman—-look! See those things that man’s carrying? I think that’s some mail for us.” Edelgard observed. 

“It’s faint, but I think it is mail.” Dimitri affirmed.

Then suddenly, the postman began to flail about in a panic, his wings fluttering up and down in haste, head directly looking up at the sky. The blonde teen suppressed a laugh at first, even remarking to Edelgard. “The postman’s acting strange.” 

“He is looking up somewhere...” Edelgard noted. “I wonder what’s got him flailing about——-AH!” She screamed suddenly. 

Dimitri went wide-eyed, turning to look at his sister. “What is it? What’s wrong, El?” 

Edelgard could only point upward. “Look! The sky! Just look!” Her voice was filling with dread, something that Dimitri rarely heard from his sister. Recognizing the urgency in her tone, he looked through the telescope again, this time focusing to where Edelgard was pointing. When he found it, he almost dropped the telescope.

* * *

There was a huge avian flying in the sky near Outset, and in its talons, it was carrying something...or rather, someone. From the looks of it, it was a teenage boy, dark-haired, and unconscious. From the looks of it, the giant bird kidnapped the boy and was taking him somewhere probably not too pleasant.

At the same time, a flash briefly obscured the spyglass’s view, and Dimitri redirected it to find a ship in the waters, a fair distance away from Outset. He could see the ship hurling giant boulders at the bird, boulders that the latter managed to dodge. Then one bigger boulder was catapulted, and it hurled right at the avian’s face. The giant bird had no time to dodge, causing it to get hit, dropping its captive in the process. 

The dark-haired boy dropped down, still unconscious, all the way into the forest. The forest was located at the island’s highest peak, and Dimitri couldn’t help but be alarmed by this turn of events. Unable to see the avian anymore, he put away the telescope and turned to his sister, who didn’t fare any better. She had her hand cover her mouth, only for her to drop it to speak. 

“Dima, the boy fell into the forest. He could be in danger for all we know...” Edelgard uttered. Her brows furrowed. “We have to do something! But, oh...Uncle’s told us before that the entryway to the bridge is blocked by trees...there’s no way we can get there without some kind of weapon.”

Thinking, Dimitri remembered their uncle mentioning someone who knew about weapon wielding. “Alois. I think Alois can give me something to use to get rid of those trees. Also, it can be something to defend myself.” 

“Great idea, Brother.” Edelgard affirmed. “Let’s go quickly; I’ll go tell Uncle about what’s happened, and you go to Alois and get yourself a weapon.” 

With that being said, they promptly slid down the ladder of the lookout simultaneously. Edelgard dashed straight back to their house, while Dimitri made a beeline to Alois and Hanneman’s shared house. Once he was at the former’s doorstep, he knocked in a hurry. 

“Alois? It’s Dimitri! I need some help!”

Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait for a minute, for the door opened to bring into view an older man, hair slicked back lightly and with a prominent mustache at his face. “Hey! Morning, Dimitri! I heard it’s your birthday today, sorry I couldn’t give you your present now, but I’m sure I’ll have it prepared by tonight...” 

“Alois...” 

“—it will be the best one that suits your coming of age! Hanneman up there thinks that I don’t give the best presents, but I’m certain I can gain the upper hand when it comes to earning your favor, young one—“ 

“Uh, Alois...” Dimitri tried again.

“—but with the outfit that you’re currently wearing, which suits you by the way, I’m sure that what I’ll give you will be the BEST gift you’ll get—“ 

“AHEM.”

Alois stopped his chatter to see Dimitri, who still looked calm, but from the twitch in his eyelid, was close to doing something worse at the older man. Said older man laughed, scratching the back of his head. “Ah, forgive me Dimitri, I got carried away back there.” 

“No offense taken.” the teen responded.

“In all seriousness, I just couldn’t believe you’re now becoming a young man in your own right,” said Alois, scoping the garb from top to bottom. The older man smiled at how remarkable the younger appeared in his own version of the Legendary Hero’s outfit. Alois remembered when he himself partook in the tradition of wearing the outfit; even if it was only for a day, it inspired him to take up the way of weapons training. His training made him constantly pursue being better in his craft, which he continued to this day. If Dimitri chose not to take up weapon wielding (despite it being Alois’s biggest wish for him), Alois wouldn’t force him, for he only wished for the best in Dimitri’s growth. 

“So, what brings you here, Dimitri? You did sound so frantic before I answered the door.” 

Dimitri exhaled, and told the situation straight. “Someone fell in the forest atop Outset’s highest peak, and I need a weapon to clear the trees blocking the bridge, so I can rescue him.” 

Alois gave a big grin. “Well, young man, you’ve come to the right place! I’ll train you with the basics first, then I’ll let you have a weapon of your choice. Sounds fair?”

Dimitri gave a firm nod. “Let’s do it.”


	3. An Encounter to Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri’s finally begun with his lesson in basic weapons, proving himself to be a natural with the few tests he has taken. Now fully ready to take on the trek up to Outset Island’s forest, he crosses the bridge and enters, not knowing what to expect.
> 
> Meanwhile, the guy in distress hangs on a branch, upside down due to a branch stuck on his trouser leg, and still out cold. Once he wakes up, his rescuer is someone he didn’t quite predict.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! These two dorks get to meet. How? You’ll just have to see in this chapter.
> 
> Anyways, in terms of how this crossover works, basically the names of the locations in Wind Waker stay the same as per the original, with the characters from Three Houses taking the roles of their original counterparts.  
> In terms of weapons and lore bits, I’m thinking of fusing elements between Zelda and Fire Emblem (for example, instead of wielding a sword, Dimitri’s still going to be using his preferred weapon of a lance, but he’ll still get the Master Sword because Zelda. Or the magic spells such as Excalibur appearing as something to utilize when solving a dungeon.)
> 
> Anyways, this story’s in progress, and while it is, enjoy reading this chapter! :D

Dimitri and Alois now stood across from each other, face to face.

Their training session was about to begin.

Alois held up three items to Dimitri: a sword, a lance and an axe. All three were part of his weapons collection that he accumulated over the years, and were still reliable as ever even after years of not being used. Narrowing his eyes out in focus, Dimitri deliberated between his three weapon choices. The sword was a nice munition to start with; it was even the choice and personal favorite of the Hero of Time himself, being able to cut down foes with flexibility. The lance had a simple, yet effective purpose combined with its design of the blade at the tip, capable of piercing a foe with an opening. Then lastly, the axe, while not as flexible as the sword, it did hold amazingly well in terms of how powerful a strike can be.

The younger blonde remembered seeing his father fish for food out in the sea, during his childhood years. His father always had a spear in hand, and whenever he struck it down in the water, there was always a big catch. It was one of the few memories Dimitri had of his dear father, before he lost him.

Maybe it was sentimentality, but Dimitri wanted to have a bit of his father with him, as a form of strength.

Hence, Dimitri stepped forward and grabbed ahold of the lance. Alois had a almost knowing grin on his face. 

“A nice choice you got there, young one. The lance is a valiant weapon to hold and master in.” The older commented. His stance now became firm, with one foot forward, sword in hand. “Now, are you ready to begin.”

With a deep breath, Dimitri put one foot forward, lifted his head up, and put up his lance in a defensive pose. “Bring it.”

It had begun. 

“Okay! So the first lesson is a thrust.” Alois informed. He then plunged his sword forward as a demonstration. “Just push your lance forward to hit your target.” From that statement, Alois resumed his defensive stance. “Ready? Do it!”

Dimitri didn’t hesitate, and he thrusted his lance forward, which struck the sword’s blade. 

“Very good! Keep it up!” The older man encouraged.

After one and two more thrusts, Dimitri was ready to take on the next lesson. 

“Next, a swipe. Now, it usually used for a sword or an axe, but it can be used with a lance to put in a few blunt hits before doing the thrust as a final blow.” Alois lectured. To again demonstrate, he did a swipe with his sword. Then it was back to defense mode. “Alright, Dimitri, your turn!” 

Dimitri performed two big swipes, both of which Alois parried effortlessly. “You’re really getting familiar with it now, aren’t you?”

The younger blushed lightly. “I guess I got a tad excited.” 

“It’s nice to be motivated to learn something like this. Now, do the swipes again!”

The blonde performed them again, alongside a few more thrusts for good measure, without issue. While they were only a few minutes into training, both of them were already feeling so much adrenaline rush from combat. 

“Alright! Now it’s time for me to teach you something that only few warriors get to learn: the Spin Attack.” Alois readied himself, his sword behind him, and within a flash, he spun, the blade leaving a silver trail. “It’s particularly effective to use against a hoard of foes, but it can leave you open, so use it well.” His lecture continued. “Now, try it.”

The younger held his weapon at his back, and with a step forward, he put himself in a spinning motion. His lance was still able to strike Alois’s sword, which was a pass. Dimitri still came out of it a bit dizzy though.

“My goodness! You’re quite a natural with your weapon there, Dimitri!” Alois complimented, patting the younger on the shoulder. “Tell you what, you keep the lance I just lent you; it suits you anyway.”

Dimitri’s lips curled up and opened into a big grin. “Truly? Oh, thank you so much, Alois!” His hands cradled the lance; it was indeed something to hold onto. 

“No problem, young one. Consider it a birthday present.” Alois laughed. “Now, I guess you best be off then. Best of luck to you!” 

“Thank you again!” Dimitri exclaimed, going out the door, and with a brief wave to Hanneman once he went out, he began to trek his way up the tree blockade. Thankfully, the spear had a tip that was long and big enough to pierce through the tree trunks, so the path was cleared. Feeling more confident, Dimitri walked the dirt path up to the bridge that was just in front of him. 

“This bridge is pretty old as of late...I guess not many people even bother to go up here that much now.” Dimitri mused, feeling the rope’s worn out tendrils. “It could collapse sooner or later.”

Then he promptly realized that he’s probably lengthening the guy-in-distress’s suffering, so Dimitri quickly gathered himself and ran across the bridge and into the cave that held the forest.

* * *

The forest was lush with greenery, but not too many animals actually resided in there because of its small size and isolated location. It was also enclosed, so it felt less like a forest an more like a house with plenty of plants around. Dimitri walked with calculated steps, unsure on what to find within a location he’s never been to before. Didn’t help that the clusters of trees made the place darker than it was supposed to be.

It didn’t take long to actually find who he was looking for: a teenage boy currently hanging on a tree branch, upside down from a snagged trouser leg to said branch, still out cold like when he first saw him. 

“There he is! I have to get to him before he falls.” Dimitri began to make his way through when, out of nowhere, two goblin like creatures appeared before him, and they drew their weapons the moment they spotted the blonde as a target.  
One of the two creatures made the first move, but before it could hit Dimitri, the latter quickly drew his lance and swiped it at the creature. Dimitri did three more swipes before piercing with the lance tip. The other creature tried to do a back attack, but Dimitri reflexively moved out of the way only to jab at the creature’s leg. Once it was down, Dimitri pierced the lance at the creature’s chest, which made it combust back to darkened ashes. 

“Glad that was over with...now to get to the guy and rescue him.” Dimitri told himself, and went back to the tree where the guy was.

* * *

The first thing he noticed was that his vision was dark.

His eyes provided the solution by opening themselves, and when they did, the first thing he saw was that he was off the ground. 

Upside down.

He gave a startled cry, and he found the source of his current predicament. Of _course_ he got stuck on a branch. Anything else that was a comfortable surface was better than this crap. With that in mind, the guy proceeded to shake himself free from the tree branch, not noticing it breaking faster and faster with his movements. 

Then, the branch snapped, and with a piercing scream, the young man resigned himself to his fate of getting hit on a hard surface... 

“I got you!”

Wait, what?

Next thing he knew, he made a landing into two very quick (yet very unprepared) arms, which resulted in him crashing on another figure that took the brunt of his.

“Oof...” “Ouuuch...”

He and the other guy said at the same time, which startled the both of them, and caused the one on top to sit up and look at the other. The other guy (aka the substitute landing cushion) was wearing a tunic of sorts, colored teal with a belt with a gold buckle, as well as white tights and deep brown boots. Needless to say, he broke the silence regarding this. 

“Wow. What’s with that getup?” An excellent first impression.

Dimitri could only resist the urge to berate him. Can he at least show _some_ form of thanks for the rescue? But he didn’t have time to retort as the dark brunette teen spoke again. 

“Well, whatever. So where am I...” The brunette boy looked around, and as he stood up, his mouth twisted in realization. “Oh, that’s right! That giant bird came in and...” His voice turned into mutters, biting ones at that. Dimitri got himself back up as the other was still focused on something else. 

“Uhm, excuse me?” Dimitri spoke up, causing the other to turn and look at him. 

“Yeah? Can’t you see I’m thinking to myself here?” the dark-skinned teen said. Dimitri pretended that wasn’t just a rude request. 

“...I can see that, but I think it’s best if we head down—-“ 

“Sir! Sir Claude!” A feminine voice shouted from the entrance to the forest. A pink haired lady appeared, with a ragged outfit similar to the dark-haired man’s, with pigtails as the hairstyle. She dashed her way to the brunette, now known as Claude. 

“Ah...thank goodness...you’re safe.” the girl huffed, exhausted from running all the way up. “When we saw it drop you on the summit, we thought you were...” 

“Hang on, _summit_?” Claude repeated. “So that bird dropped me on top of a mountain?” He asked, more like a statement. His arms crossed tightly. “Well, wasn’t _that_ nice of it.” Even when he was upset, his voice still remained with as calm of a tone as ever, Dimitri noted. Letting out a huff, Claude took some steps forward, only to stop when the girl didn’t move. 

“Hey, Hilda? Let’s not just idle about here, we’ve got to go.” Claude reminded. “Time for us to pay our debt to that bird in full.” He had already made his way close to the entrance, while Hilda turned to look at Dimitri, who was honestly still speechless about that whole scene. “Hey, Claude...what about this blondie right here?” she inquired. 

“...Don’t worry about him, come on!” Claude called out, already out of the forest. Hilda saw this as her cue to leave, and out of curiosity and willingness to get this over with, Dimitri made his move to leave too.

* * *

Now that he was outside, Dimitri strolled to see Claude and Hilda at one spot, and he was ready to approach them when he heard the unmistakable call of “Brother!” from the other side. Dimitri didn’t have to guess; it was Edelgard on the other end of the bridge waving at him. 

“El!” Dimitri called.

Edelgard proceeded to cross the bridge with a little smile. 

Just then, a giant shadow appeared, gliding toward Outset Island’s bridge. It flew onward, and in the process, spotted its target and locked on to get it. Their talons opened to grab... 

“EDELGARD!” Dimitri’s distressed cry echoed as sister was promptly snatched by the giant avian from earlier. Edelgard let out a scream as she was lifted away from the bridge, away from home, away from her brother. As the distance became farther, she called out to her brother in vain. 

“ **BROTHER!** ” 

Her hand reached out for something that was already futile to aim.

Meanwhile, Dimitri was ventilating profusely, and in his distress, flew into a reckless rage. He raced towards the giant bird, lance in hand, hoping to make it somehow. Something, _anything_. Anything to get her back home, and let everything be as it was before this. He was so focused on chasing her and the avian that he didn’t notice his lack of footing on any kind of ground. Next thing he knew, _he_ was the one who was taking a fall—-

“Hang on!”

Two hands grabbed one of Dimitri’s, stopping his descent below. In his disbelief, Dimitri wailed out his grief, his sister’s name in between cries of anguish. “Edelgard! El...! She’s out there—!” 

“I know she’s out there, but there’s nothing we can do now! She’s too far out, she’s gone!” Claude exclaimed. Even with Hilda’s assistance, Claude was struggling to pull Dimitri back up, and hearing those sad wails got to the other man. Part of Claude wanted to lull those cries and kind of comfort the blonde teen he just met, but right now, Dimitri still had to get to safer ground.

Once Dimitri stopped resisting, he could only stare vacantly in the distance, Edelgard in the giant’s clutches, being out of reach completely.


	4. The Adventure Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Left with no other options, Dimitri pleads to Claude to take him in his ship in order to find and rescue Edelgard. At first, Claude and his first mate Hilda aren’t convinced, until a third party intervenes to change their minds. 
> 
> Later, Dimitri equips another important item for his quest, his family shield. With that preparation, he officially begins his venture outside of his island home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, here is the next chapter! Now Dimitri here tries to convince Claude to let him ride in the ship to save Edelgard. How will it go? I’m pretty sure it’ll be fine. Furthermore, we get more details behind the kidnapping. 
> 
> (P.S. Seteth is the Rito Postman giving the exposition, but his name won’t be revealed until a few chapters are through)
> 
> (P.P.S. I just learned that Dimitri’s uncle in 3H is named Rufus, and that he didn’t have a close relationship with him in canon, but for the sake of the story, they’re close here.)
> 
> Anyways, let’s continue on the story, and enjoy reading!

“What? You want to come with us on our ship?”

Among all of the requests Claude has heard in his lifetime so far, this one by far was the one he least expected. In hindsight, Claude should’ve anticipated this kind of question to be thrown at his direction; this guy his age DID have a loved one taken from him.

Dimitri, the one who made said request, gave a firm nod. “Yes. Edelgard is still out there, and I can’t lose hope that she’s still alive!” His voice wavered in that last word, and kept wavering as he spoke on. “I have to get her back...I must.”

Claude wanted to give props to Dimitri for his determination, but he wasn’t certain that the other teen was up to the challenge. Besides, Dimitri certainly didn’t know what the brunette actually does for a living. Hands on his hips, Claude stared up at Dimitri, unwavering. 

“Do you understand what you’re dealing with here, lad? We’re PIRATES. Y’know...pirates! The terror of the seas!” Claude tried to dissuade. Judging from Dimitri’s unchanged expression, it seems like he didn’t care about that fact. “How would being a pirate change the fact that I need to rescue my sister?”

Claude sighed as he rubbed his eyes in a bit of disbelief. “Well, what do we get out of bringing some outsider with us?” 

“I’ll tell you what we get, Blondie!” Hilda interjected. “A major hassle!”

“Hilda! Goodness.” Claude said, a bit taken aback by her biting comment. Dimitri resisted the urge to also rudely interject and point out that hypocritical reaction, considering the other teen also acted a bit brash earlier on. But firstly, he wasn’t that kind of person, and there was a bigger matter at hand.

“Okay, look, I know how you must feel, with your sister...Edelgard, being taken and all, but...” Claude trailed off, already assessing the many ways to lay Dimitri down in a way that didn’t result in a bigger issue in his hands. That proved to be a challenge, however; the blondie already expressed his intent to take on the daunting task of saving a loved one. Furthermore, that determination shone through in the teen’s blue eyes. In a way, it made Claude a bit more curious about Dimitri, perhaps wanting to get to know the latter in better circumstances... 

...Wait, what was he thinking about again? Right, the kidnapping. He wanted to speak up, only for his first mate to once more give her two cents.

“But that doesn’t have anything to do with us, now does it?” Hilda asked, her head tilted and expression bored. “Besides, I just want to continue sailing on our ship, not bothered by anything at all!”

“I wasn’t going to say that, but it seems like her sharp tongue has given some particular sentiments about these circumstances.” Claude commented bluntly.

Dimitri opened his mouth to respond, but someone else already took the cue to speak up. 

“...And how do you figure that?” 

The three turned to the new person who just joined in the conversation. Within one look however, Dimitri recognized him as the postman who was in front of the mailbox a while back. Now that he was close enough to see him fully, Dimitri noted that the postman had dark green hair, pointy ears much like himself and the pirates, wearing maroon garb, and had a belt that held the mail bag. However, the most distinct feature of the postman was that he had a beak in place of his nose. It’s the first time Dimitri’s ever saw someone like the postman.

“Whoa there! Just who are you? We’re kinda having a conversation that I’m certain didn’t have you involved.” Hilda retorted.

“Please! All I meant to say was that if you pirates hadn’t come to this quiet, little island...that poor girl wouldn’t have been snatched away by that bird.” The postman replied coolly.

Claude lifted in his chin at this comment. “And just what do you mean?” He asked, almost in a sneer.

“Just be quiet for a moment, and I will tell you.” The green-haired man said defensively, holding a hand up for the sake of it. “Now, as my work entails delivering letters, I spend much of my time traveling amongst many different islands. As a result, I hear plenty of things from many people’s mouths...”

Dimitri now fully faced the postman, intent to hear what was truly going on.

The postman continued. “Haven’t you heard that young adolescents have been getting kidnapped lately from all regions of the Great Sea?” With no one giving the reaction he wanted, the postman continued on. “No matter. Whether you received word of it or otherwise, it seems to be the case. Adolescents with long ears and dark hair of any shade, have been getting kidnapped, never to be seen again.”

Now Dimitri didn’t like the direction where this talk was going. He couldn’t bear the possibility of being unable to see his sister again. Some of his family was already lost, he can’t let another one go through the same fate. Though, for the sake of potentially finding a solution, he kept listening.

“And unless my eyes have failed me, the young lass who was just kidnapped ALSO has long ears, and dark hair, does she not? Much like YOU do, Sir Fearsome Pirate.” The mail carrier said further. “Anyways, my point is that the bird mistook the poor girl for you, and that’s why it grabbed her!”

Now Claude remained silent on that account, looking to side with his eyes drifting downward. 

“And correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe it was young Dimitri here who saved you from the monsters in the forest, wasn’t it?” asked the postman.

Dimitri nodded. “Yes. I saw Claude fall into the forest in Outset’s summit, so I went there so I can save him. There were monsters that came out of nowhere, though I managed to slay them before they got to him.”

Claude had his mouth lightly agape in surprise. “Is this true?” Another nod with a smile from Dimitri gave Claude his answer. Well, the latter couldn’t believe his ears, and now he was beginning to feel a little bit remorseful about his dismissive demeanor towards the other teen at his attempt in breaking Claude’s fall from the tree. Not only was Dimitri unwavering, but also had a heart to help others. 

_Too bad the recklessness is something this lad needs to improve on_ , Claude thought to himself.

“I may as well tell you that the bird that took both you and Dimitri’s sister has made its nest up north...on the Forsaken Fortress.” The mail carrier finished.

Claude became rigid. “The Forsaken Fortress? Isn’t that the place where...” He trailed off, hiding something that clearly got him on guard. His hand almost clenched in a fist, but he tried to remain still.

“So, what will you do now?” inquired the postman. “Under the circumstances, I don’t think it would be unreasonable for you and your ship to help Dimitri a bit now, would it?” 

Claude gave a nonchalant shrug. “Well, I didn’t need you to tell me that, however, even if I _were_ to consider it...lately, I’ve heard nothing but malicious rumors about the Forsaken Fortress...” The brunette informed. He then looked pointedly at Dimitri’s lance. “You can’t possibly think about going to that place with nothing but that lance you got there. That’s not brave, it’s asinine!” 

Dimitri’s face sunk close to disappointment, and Claude seemed to notice since he rushed to rectify the mood. “I mean, come on! Even a simple island like this has to have something as useful as a shield. You know, something to protect yourself with? Anything at all?”

The lancer looked to the side in thought. He was certain he saw something like a shield before...but where? Then it hit him:

* * *

_ A young Dimitri witnessed his uncle being busy doing something. From the looks of it, Uncle was hanging something up in the walls of their shared house. Curious, the little boy went up the ladder to the upper floor to meet his relative. _

_ “Uncle, what’s that you’re doing?” _

_ His uncle gave a light grin and a sigh the moment he realized it was his nephew speaking. “Ah, Dima. What I’m doing is hanging up our family shield.” _

_ “Family shield?” Dimitri curiously asked. _

_ “That’s right. It’s a little tradition that we people at Outset have practiced for generations; this shield has been made by our ancestor, Loog, and since then, each member of our family has passed it down.”  _

_ The shield itself had a crest that resembled a star at its top. In the center, it had a golden tetrahedron, with a bird-like insignia directly below it. Dimitri extended a hand up, enthralled by it. _

_ “You want to see it up close? Okay then!” Dimitri’s uncle then lifted the boy up, and the latter felt the shield’s design under his fingertips. He gasped in awe. _

_ “One day, you and Edelgard will get to pass it down too...” _

* * *

“....Hey. Hey, Blondie!” Hilda’s voice broke Dimitri out of flashback land. 

“Oh! Uhm...forgive me. I was lost in thought.” said Dimitri, with a nervous chuckle and alittle blush to boot.

“Oh-kay, then. So, tell you what, if you come back with a shield or something like it, I’ll let you stow away on our ship.” Claude relayed. With that said, Dimitri made his move to leave, but a warm hand held him by the shoulder in the last minute. Confused, Dimitri glanced at the culprit, none other than Claude. “Oh, one more thing: you won’t be coming back here for a while. So you should say your farewells to family while you’re still here. Last thing I want are homesickness complaints.”

Dimitri now knew there was no time to waste away; he made his move back to his house, aiming to get the shield. He climbed upward to the upper floor, only to find that the shield was gone from where it originally was.

“Where did it go? I need it.” Dimitri panicked. He quickly stepped down the ladder, only to find his uncle standing in the center of their living room, his back turned. 

“Uncle...?” Dimitri stepped closer to where his uncle stood. The older man spoke up.

“Is this what you were looking for, Dima?” He turned around to reveal the shield in his hands. Dimitri looked down at it, a mournful veil dimming his blue eyes. 

A gentle smile manifested in his uncle’s face. “...Take it with you.”

Dimitri gave a shaky smile. “Thank you, Uncle.” Then he grabbed the shield in his hands, and much like when he first held his lance, he held this heirloom with great care. His eyes had so much focus on his new gear, that he almost didn’t catch the shuddering of his uncle’s shoulders.

“Uncle...”

“I guess it is true...El has been really kidnapped...hasn’t she...?” The older man’s voice kept shaking in each of his words. If Dimitri looked closer, he thought he saw a hint of tears in his eyes. “Who would dare take such a sweet, young lass like her...?”

“I’ll be going Uncle...I’ll try to stay safe.” Dimitri vowed.

“Please do...I’ve already lost Lambert and Anselma; the last thing I want is to lose you and El.” His uncle said. The sadness had definitely began to set in the younger, so with sorrow seeping in, Dimitri left his uncle in the house, almost in tears himself. 

Once he was out, Dimitri wiped his eyes. He couldn’t afford to be held back now, Edelgard was probably struggling to cope with being held captive in that Forsaken Fortress. He caught up to Claude, who eyed his shield of choice. The pirate hummed. 

“That’s certainly an antique you got there. As intricate as the design is, I hope it manages to stay sturdy.” Claude assessed. “Anyways, now that we see that you’re ready, it’s time to set sail.” He turned to the ship, and gave a holler. “Crew, prepare yourselves, we’re heading into the Forsaken Fortress! So drop whatever you’re doing and all hands on deck!”

“Aye, aye, Captain!” A chorus of voices hollered in return. 

“Now, lad, it’s time we board the ship. We’re off!” Claude called out valiantly. 

It was time to depart.


	5. A Scheme at Play

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri has just departed his home of Outset Island for a perilous destination. In the ship he’s in, he gets quickly introduced to the other members of the ragtag group that is Claude’s pirate crew. After a bit of training (and a treasure for a prize), Dimitri finally gets to see firsthand the Forsaken Fortress.
> 
> Due to limited options, Claude finds only one way for Dimitri to sneak into in the fort...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5 is here! This is probably the longest I did so far...and we’re not even halfway through this fic yet, whoops.
> 
> Moving on, here’s the rest of the crew introduced, and we journey on to the Forsaken Fortress. This is also the part of the story where...that scene happens from Wind Waker. You know which one. >:D
> 
> Anyways, enjoy reading this new addition!

The day still went on in the afternoon light. There was a crowd of people gathered at the shore, looking onward. To one who’s locked out of the loop, the reason may seem unclear...until one sees the ship at the dock.

“Hoist the anchor!”

A gong rings out, and the anchor is lifted up from the waters. Another ring from the gong, and the sails instantly unfurl. The wind blows from behind, bringing life to the sails that push the ship forward a considerable distance. Dimitri looks on as he sees the crowd of people who came to say their farewells.

“Good luck, Dimitri!” 

“Stay safe, Dimitri!”

“Good luck rescuing Edelgard!”

“May the Goddesses protect you, young one!”

Dimitri was grateful for their support, so he made sure to repay them with a wave of his own. While it was nice to have the whole island populace supporting him, he noticed someone missing from the crowd. 

“Uncle...” Dimitri realized that his parent figure was absent for the send off. As soon as he asked himself where his uncle might be, he got his answer when looked over to his house. There, standing at the porch of their hut, was his uncle, unmoving, but undeniably looking on towards his nephew. Dimitri didn’t need to question why his uncle chose not to join the crowd. Swallowing a lump in his throat that he didn’t even know was there, he gave one final wave, this time directed to his only family. The teen could feel his eyes watering just by doing it. Never thought Dimitri would see the day when he finally leaves the nest...he just wished that it was on a better note.

A sigh breaks Dimitri’s reverie.

“Uhm...How much longer is this going to keep on, do you think? You got an estimate?”

Dimitri turned back to see Claude, casually lounging about on one of the ship’s ledges. Arms crossed and with a smirk painted on his face, Dimitri could tell that Claude was in his natural, seafaring habitat. The former found the smirk on the latter’s face very...suitable for him, with the confidence it showed. 

Claude’s voice rang again in Dimitri’s ears. “Are you sure you not going to quit now? Seriously, just think about it.” Claude stretched, reclining with arms behind his head while giving a nonchalant stare to the blonde. “I can tell that you’re just going to get more sentimental from here on out. Anyways, there’s still time...Are you sure we shouldn’t just turn around and take you back there to your island?”

After all that has happened, Dimitri didn’t think of giving up on the last minute. His gaze steeled on as he looked back on his home. Oh, how he wished he could’ve stayedand let him live the rest of his days in peace. Yet, Dimitri can’t live in peace knowing that a monster like that giant bird took away part of what made his life peaceful to begin with. Dimitri had made his choice; it wasn’t an easy one, but it was the only way.

“I’d say it’s too late to do just that...” Dimitri replied, tone somber. “Edelgard needs me.”

Claude sighed. “Who am I to judge then? She’s a loved one of yours.” The brunette hummed, the wind letting some of his hair not bound by his headband flow on. 

* * *

The pirate had a wistful look in his eyes, one that was used to the mood of the Great Sea at any time of the day. Dimitri felt the wind through the strands of his hair...it was different from when just stayed in Outset. It felt...freer, in a way. With nothing standing in the way, nothing but the sea’s waves and a few occasional islands and rocks, the gales didn’t hold back.

Outset Island got farther away the further the ship went forward, and despite his efforts to not get to sentimental, Dimitri was reminded of his home’s patron goddess. The Goddess of Wind, said to give courage to those who wished to travel beyond their comfort zone. He thought of, and did send, a little prayer to his patron goddess, as another way of getting hope. Once he was done, it was practically quiet from his end.

The silence almost awkward, save for the some of the crew’s chatter here and there, Dimitri broke the ice. 

“Sailing the sea in this ship...how is it like?”

Claude couldn’t help but chuckle at the innocent question. “You really are a landlubber aren’t ya? But since you’re a newbie at this, I’ll give you some talk to spare you the difficulty.” 

He went off the ledge down to the ship’s floor, Dimitri following suit. Now that he was on the main deck, Dimitri got to see just how big the ship actually was. It was spacious, enough to hold a crowd within its confines. The mast, while thick, was tall enough to house the ship’s main sail and hold the crow’s nest.

From where he stood, Dimitri could see a mint-haired figure on the mast’s lookout. He could tell that the lookout person was incredibly focused on his job, as the latter remained still while holding his spyglass. Behind the steering wheel was a burly looking blonde man, while silently doing his job, had a jolly grin. There were others as well, such as the raven-haired man who was at the ship’s bow, two girls, a redhead and a silverette conversing with themselves on the port, and another girl, cerulean-haired this time, sitting by herself at the starboard. 

“Sailing this here ship is no easy feat; one can only do so much when traveling the sea, when the sea itself tries to get us off guard. Hence, the crew here keeps everything in check,” Claude explained. He first pointed to the crow’s nest, then to the steering wheel station. “Ignatz is our navigator, the one who sits there at the lookout above and checks for any surrounding obstacles in our route; he’s also in charge of keeping the sails in good shape. Raphael’s this ship’s driver, one who’s very skilled in steering without crashing; he and Ignatz work together swell.” 

Next, Claude points to the girls at the port and starboard. “See those two? That’s Leonie and Lysithea; Leonie’s the ballistics and weapons lady in charge. Lysithea is the genius of the crew, always does her research on locations we intend to go to, as well as what we might find.” He looks to the girl with the cerulean locks. “Then there’s Marianne; she may be quiet practically all the time, but she’s excellent when dealing with wildlife we might encounter.”

Dimitri gave attentive nods the whole time Claude gave his introductions to the crew. From the descriptions alone, they were diverse in their duties and responsibilities, but they all aimed for the same purpose, which was piracy. 

The lancer couldn’t help but ask, “Are there more?”

“Indeed there are,” Claude confirmed. His finger pointed to the raven-haired man standing next to the gong. “That’s Balthus, he assists Leonie with ballistics, and he’s the go-to guy for using catapults. Balthus is also the resident con-man, being able to persuade people with his words.” 

He then turns to the door, which presumably led to the crew’s cabins below. “Inside there’s Judith, practically the eldest hand in this ship. She’s the one who helps me in making my decisions. Another person there is Lorenz, he’s the guy in charge of the obstacles and training for swabbies like yourself, lad.” 

Claude then points a thumb to himself. “Then of course, there’s me, the ship’s captain. I’m the one who pretty much does all of the relegating and delegating of tasks and rules—-“

“Pirates have rules?” Dimitri interrupted.

The brunette let out a hearty laugh at that. “Of course we do! We do have to keep everything in proper working order here, after all. For those who say we don’t, they’re just exaggerating, and probably trying to paint themselves as self-righteous.” 

Wiping his eye from laughing, he redirected the conversation topic. “As I was saying, I’m the captain who does what captains do, and Hilda here is my first mate and bosun. Her main jobs are that she gets to be substitute captain if I’m absent to do my duties, and she gives announcements and emergency calls for the crew.” Claude finished, but he gave an aside glance to the girl in question, currently exchanging words with Marianne. “But...since I’m mostly active as captain, she mostly takes the opportunity to be idle in her job.” 

Dimitri gave an affirming sound. “It’s interesting, how you all do your duties whilst traversing the waters,” he complimented sincerely, looking at Claude as he did so. “From what I just heard, you and your crew have a solid work ethic; I like it.”

From the looks of it, it seemed like Claude was genuinely surprised by his words, to the point where he seemed to have another color appear on his face. “Okay, okay, enough with the compliments,” Claude teased, chuckling. “While I do like that you are invested in what we’re doing, it’s time for you to get basic pirate training.” 

With a hand behind Dimitri’s back, Claude led him to the door for the cabins. “Downstairs, Lorenz is waiting, he’ll give you your test for the day.” Claude let Dimitri enter the inside of the pirate ship, and he spun around to go back to the deck, but not before he gave a little message to motivate. “Good luck...Dimitri.” 

The door closed behind Dimitri with a resounding thud. His chest took a deep breath, before he went on to find Lorenz. On the way to the set of stairs that led further below, Dimitri encountered a woman standing aside a doorway, who looked older than the rest of the members at the deck. The woman in question eyed Dimitri up and down. 

“So...you must be the newcomer,” says the lady.

Meekly, the teen responds. “Ah, yes I am. My name’s Dimitri.” 

“I like your polite tone,” the woman compliments. “I’m Judith, basically Claude’s counsel and substitute parent figure. Since his mother died, I’m the only grownup he has left.”

“Oh...that’s sad to hear.” Dimitri sympathized.

“Yes...it is.” Judith nods, and it was quiet for a little moment before she cleared her throat. “Moving on, this door behind me leads to Claude’s room, and under **no** circumstances should you enter it.” Her tone got sharp in the last part.

“O-Okay, right.” Dimitri bobbed his head in agreement, albeit hastily. “It’s nice meeting you, Judith; I’ll be heading down to where Lorenz is right now.” His feet moved to go down the steps, but not without hearing Judith’s comment: “If Lorenz gives you a test and you pass it, don’t say it was too easy...he’ll get hurt if you say that.”

Once he reached the bottom of the steps, there he met a guy with lavender hair...which had a gaudy style to it. “So this is the new swabbie that gets to be under my wing! Your name, please?” He spoke with bravado.

“...Dimitri.”

“Dimitri! Yes, an...interesting name,” he responded. “The name is Lorenz, and I will be your instructor in pirate exercises! Now...” 

Lorenz moved to a big button just to the side,and it pressed down, elevating the platforms in the pit. “...this here is the only easy step. The hard part is crossing these platforms in limited time.” Lorenz then proceeded to jump across, swing on hanging lamps in between to get to the other side, just as time went up and the boards went down. “Now...care to test yourself?”

Dimitri didn’t need to give an answer; he pressed the button again, and then jumped and swung his way across the course. Aside from almost falling due to a misstep, Dimitri made it just fine to the other end, faster than Lorenz’s time in fact. Because of this, Lorenz’s eyes and mouth went wide.

“Wh-what?! You made it already? W-Well...” Lorenz struggled to bring his words together. Dimitri kept silent for the sake of the other man’s ego.

“Er...congratulations! On the other side of this doorway is the prize you get to claim!” The lavenderette then looked from side to side, before staring at Dimitri again. “Oh, and don’t tell Claude I let you take some thing from the trove.” 

Puzzled, Dimitri went on to get his prize anyway, which was inside a chest. Opening it, he pulled out a pouch, which was a deep violet, and its flap made it look like a menacing face. “It’s something to keep trinkets in...if ever you find some that catch your fancy.” Lorenz explained. 

“Hey, Dimitri! Get up here! We’re close to our destination!” A voice rings from outside.

“Sounds like the captain’s calling for you...better hurry then!” Lorenz hooted. 

The lancer made his way back outside to the deck, and as soon as he looked up, he realized it was past dusk and into night. _How long did we even sail for...?_ Dimitri asked to himself.

Before he could answer for himself, he heard Claude’s voice call him once more.

“Up here! In the crow’s nest!” 

Dimitri found the ladder leading up, and wasted no time in getting up. Once he made it to the crow’s nest, he noted that Claude was...glaring at him?

“...Did Lorenz let you train for treasure you get to keep? That was meant to be stored and left untouched?” interrogated the captain. 

Shoot. Claude caught up to the situation from below. He had to think of an answer, quick. “Er...no. Not at all, I assure you.” 

There was a telling look in the other’s emerald eyes that didn’t fall for that white lie, but to Dimitri’s surprise, Claude gave a shrug. “Well...whatever. On another note, the reason I called for you is because I wanted you to have a look at this place...the Forsaken Fortress.” Claude inclined his head to let Dimitri inspect in that direction. 

Sure enough, the Forsaken Fortress had tall walls and what appeared to be tunnels of lights rotating one place to another. There was what seemed to be a huge nest, and next to it, another tower with a hut atop it. Anchors hung around the place, almost like a display of souvenirs from lost ships. Even by the limited brightness the night brought, it didn’t curb the foreboding aura the fort had to begin with.

“There are all sorts of rumors about this place,” Claude began, letting his hands rest on the lookout’s railing. “What I do know is that a long time back, this used to be a hideout for no good pirates we used to clash with...” His grip on the railing tightened. Before Dimitri could ask what that tic meant, Claude appeared to have relaxed. “...but they were just small time. Now, it looks like the place is really dangerous.”

“That doesn’t sound reassuring...” said Dimitri, frowning at the statement. 

“Yeah, especially not with that giant bird on standby there.” Claude pointed to the giant nest, where the said bird currently rested, asleep. Dimitri couldn’t help but glare at the avian with ire. His hand moved to grab his lance, he didn’t want to delay in giving grievous harm to the creature any longer.

“Hang on there, Lancliness, you’ll get your revenge on that thing later.” Claude spoke out, snapping Dimitri out of his anger-filled stare. “Right now, you need to look at this.”

Without warning, Claude grabbed Dimitri’s hand to direct the latter in looking at the other direction, in this case, an open window with light emitted. There were some birds flying about the open space, near the light.

“Seagulls...” Dimitri muttered.

“Right. Have you seen that many just...flocked together in that spot all at once?” Claude questioned. He then turned to the blonde, with an grin that spoke of guarantee. “I’ll bet you anything that’s where they got your sister locked up!” With that, Dimitri was relieved that they were able to deduce Edelgard’s location that quickly. 

“Edelgard...I’ll be able to save her, thank the Goddesses.” Dimitri sighed out in relief. 

Claude gave a little smirk, this time it wasn’t as smug. “Seems to me you’re now hopeful this will turn out alright.”

“Yes...” Dimitri then realized that his hand and Claude’s were still clasped together. The tips of his long ears turned a fair scarlet.

“O-Oh, I...” Did he want to let go of it? For the sake of pursuing the mission, he had to, but the pirate captain’s grasp...it had a warm sensation to it. He didn’t know how to tell the other that he needed to let go of his hand.

“Hmmm? What is it, Dimitri?” Claude asked, then he gazed at his and Dimitri’s hands. His eyebrows went up, and his face turned...a tiny red? They couldn’t tell from the night’s light. “Ah. Well.” The brunette then proceeded to release his own from the grip, much to the blonde’s disappointment. 

Claude cleared his throat, turning his attention back to the location. “Anyways...it looks like this whole place is under really tight guard...” He gave a holler to the deck below. “Oy, Lysithea! Does the Forsaken Fortress have any entrance not noticeable by any of its new owners that they don’t know of yet we can use?” 

Lysithea checked her cartography book for a brief moment, before shaking her head. “None that I can see from the layout, Claude! They’ll spot us even as we go closer!” she exclaims back. 

The captain gave a chagrined sigh. “This won’t work...we’d be spotted before we get anywhere near landing there.” Throughout, all Dimitri could do was hope that Claude would come up with something. 

“Hmmmm...what to do now?” Claude pondered to himself. But then, a twinkle in his eye shone, and while Dimitri was distracted looking on at the Forsaken Fortress, Claude crossed his arms and gave a knowing wink.

* * *

Dimitri was still gazing at nowhere in particular, then he noticed his body felt smaller than usual. Upon looking down, he realized he was put in a barrel. The reaction was appropriate.

** “WHAT-!” **

He then moved around, trying to get out of his little confine, off of the catapult—- _Great_ , Dimitri thought, _this isn’t getting_ _better._

“Let me out! How am I here?!” He repeated these questions as he struggled to get free. 

From the foot of the catapult, Claude looked at him, unfazed by his attempts to get free. 

“Hey, hey! Dimitri, don’t struggle.” Claude ordered. “If you really want to get into a dangerous place like that, this is the only way to do it, trust me. Besides...” he gives a shrug, and looks to his crew. “...we pirates do this all the time! Don’t worry about it; it’ll be a piece of cake.” The crew nods in unanimous agreement. As if Dimitri needed anymore assurance for something that would _definitely_ go well for his first try...

“Is everyone ready?” 

Balthus gives a salute as confirmation.

“Never you fear, Lancliness, we’re pros.” Claude assured again. “We’re going to launch you good!”

The countdown began.

“Three!” yelled Leonie.

“Two!” hollered Raphael.

“ONE!” screamed Hilda.

Dimitri braced himself—-

“WAAAAUGH—!” 

Dimitri was launched off from the catapult, his scream becoming faint just as it echoed. Claude and his team looked on at the sight.

“Will he be alright?” asked Ignatz. 

“I’m sure he can handle himself.” Balthus remarked.

“I just hope it doesn’t get worse for him...” Marianne spoke.

Meanwhile, Dimitri screamed for his life as he went on to collide...with the fort’s wall, crashing with a thud. The barrel broke, the pieces dropping to floor at the prison’s entrance...along with his weapon. Oh well, the lance just flew down to the floor unceremoniously. 

Then Dimitri felt his body go limp as he crashed into the water below, a resounding splash coming with it. His head pops out of the water, and a scowl formed on his lips.

“How _wonderful_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seriously don’t know how Claude managed to put Dimitri in a barrel without Dimitri noticing AT ALL.


	6. The Forsaken Fortress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fresh off the water and lanceless, Dimitri traverses the first dungeon in his adventure, the Forsaken Fortress. As intimidating as the place is, with a few helpful tips from Claude through a magical trinket, Dimitri manages to traverse the place despite stealth challenges.
> 
> Unfortunately, fate deems it too soon for siblings Edelgard and Dimitri to reunite, as the latter is unceremoniously tossed away to sea. However, an enigmatic savior from the waters aids the lancer...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 6, Chapter 6! Since this was the first chapter that had extensive dungeon crawling as its main shtick, it was a challenge for me to write. Hopefully, the final product I published here is worth reading, despite not going down into too much detail of the dungeon in question.
> 
> Also, quick guide: italicized means someone not present in the scene is talking in the pirate’s charm.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy this read!

Dimitri swam up to upper ground, then he resurfaced and stood near a set of stairs.His whole body was dripping all over, even his clothes took some time to let the water drain from them. After he shook himself clean, Dimitri proceeded to go up the steps, when he heard a ring from out of nowhere. This was followed by a very familiar voice.

“ _Your lance landed all the way up there?_ ” the voice asked, sounding sheepish. “ _Shoot, I’m sorry! I apologize...guess my aim was off by a little bit.”_

Dimitri squinted his eyes, looking up to where he (and the barrel) collided. His lips curved down in a deep frown. “A little bit? It wasn’t even an inch close to the window!” His feet paced a bit amidst him speaking, “By the way, how are you even speaking to me right now, where are you?”

_“Check your pocket, you should see a glowing little stone._ ” the voice instructed. Doing as it asked, Dimitri dug a hand into his pockets, and to his surprise, he found a luminescent, light blue stone tied with a string. It floated in his hand, and the voice resounded again from it.

“I slipped this into your pocket moments before we launched you to the fortress. ‘This’ being the Pirate’s Charm,” said Claude, who was still in his abode of a pirate ship, holding his own Pirate’s Charm. Some of his team gathered round their captain, while others, particularly Ignatz and Marianne, went up to the crow’s nest for standby.

* * *

“ _Listen carefully; the courtyard is awash with searchlights, and without your lance, I’d suggest you take the stealth approach until you can get it back.”_ Claude informed. “ _You need to disable those operating those searchlights; if you can defeat them, then those lights will be shut down.”_

Back to Dimitri, he heard all of the instructions that he needed. “Got it. I will do what I must right away.” His feet moved him up the steps, only for the Pirate’s Charm to ring again.

_“By the way, once you’re done rescuing your sister, I’ll need that Pirate’s Charm back,”_ Claude spoke up. “ _I don’t come with unlimited communication trinkets, you know.”_

Dimitri gave an amused chuckle. “Alright, alright. Now I have to start with the mission.” He put away the trinket in his pocket, and as he made his way further up, so began his journey inside the Forsaken Fortress.

The searchlights being a constant were the first thing the lancer noticed once got a fair view of the inside of the fort. To make sure he wouldn’t go wrong in this task, he proceeded to count the number of operating beacons in the area.

“So that’s one, two...three. Three pairs in all.” Dimitri told himself. “Time to go to the nearest one first.” 

The nearest one being just close to the staircase where he first entered. Upon spotting a ladder that led to the first beacon, he climbed up briskly. Dimitri was about to fully climb up when he saw a monster of same kind that he faced at Outset earlier in the day. Letting out a gasp, he ducked before the monster saw him.

A hand reached to grab his lance behind him when he grabbed only air. Oh. Right, he dropped his lance after that catapult mishap. Now he needed to find another option. The charm rang once more as if it’s heard his current dilemma.

_“Hey, if you’re having difficulty in trying to fend for yourself without your weapon, try to look around for anything useable. Improvise! It always works, especially when you need to adapt.”_ Claude’s voice rang from within the charm. 

The blonde gave a warm smile at the aid. “Thanks.” 

The Pirate’s Charm dimmed once more. Looks like Claude didn’t have anymore snappy commentary. But moving on from that, Dimitri climbed up, albeit quieter this time, even tiptoeing upon reaching the next floor. Unfortunately, he must have been a bit louder in his step, as the monster’s head perked up and caught Dimitri in its vision. The creature then pulled the lever, disabling the searchlights it was handling in favor of getting the attack on Dimitri. 

With the creature rushing to his direction, Dimitri’s hand reached behind for his shield and blocked the first attack the monster unleashed. It tried to strike again, but Dimitri still gave a block. Dimitri knew that he couldn’t just keep shielding himself for long, thus his eyes swiftly scanned his surroundings for anything he can use. To his relief, there was a jar of torchlight sticks. 

So, Dimitri rolled out of the monster’s way, and he dashed to grab a stick, which he managed to do. The monster gave a shrill cry, and rushed on to strike with its machete. Then Dimitri pivoted and struck the monster hard with his makeshift weapon, leaving the creature vulnerable to another strike. The teen wasted no time, and so he ended the enemy mook’s life with two more blows. In a puff of smoke, the mook vanished without remains.

“Well, that wasn’t too hard...but I have to press forward.” Dimitri muttered. He proceeded to the next part of the fort, which was a door that lead to the inner walls and chambers. His expectation was that he wouldn’t have to hide from any other mook on the way to the next searchlight. 

His expectations were crushed the moment he spotted another creature, much bigger and pig-like this time. Great. 

Worried that the...pig thing spotted him, Dimitri dodged to the nearest wall to hide behind. It was a close call, and based from the series of bars just from the end of that hallway, Dimitri assumed correctly that he would end up imprisoned if he made a misstep. Just when it seemed like he would be a sitting duck stuck in a trap, a blessing came to him in the form of an empty barrel, that was next to him no less. 

Claude’s advice rang in his head. ‘ _Improvise! It always works, especially when you need to adapt.’_

Dimitri tipped the barrel to find the opening at the bottom. He just hoped that this next encounter with this wooden cylinder was better than the first time. 

His whole body slipped inside the barrel, and tipped it back down to completely hide himself. Now, he had to walk for the door just a fair distance away.

Slowly and quietly, Dimitri walked onward, the barrel’s small hole being his only view to the outside. His movements were rigid, for any noise could give him away. Then the pig guard came into his view, which made Dimitri pause in his tracks and lower the barrel in wait. Sounds of footsteps reached his ears, the guard was closer to him than he thought. The next few seconds were perhaps the most tense he had so far, his breath remained still in his lungs.

Thankfully, the footsteps became faint, hence Dimitri was free to sneak further to the exit. The exit led him to the next searchlight, which he was able to defeat the creature in charge of it thanks to knowing the strategy. Along the way, he got ahold of a compass and a map (which were left in another storage unit within the fortress), that made Dimitri’s navigation of the place more bearable.

Now the trip to the third searchlight was the one which gave him a bit more of a challenge, as even if the other two were disabled, the remaining one had a chance of catching Dimitri sneaking around. To rub more salt to the wound, there were more of those pig-boar things staying guard with their spears. 

“Great.” Dimitri deadpanned. “I just need to sneak past them...for once, I wish a barrel was nearby.” 

Fortunately, the barrel was within walking distance for Dimitri to reach. 

Unfortunately, the pig-boar guards were making their rounds near it. 

“Why does fate wish to give me strife? What more could they do to me?” Dimitri whispered, wandering exasperatedly to himself.

Giving a silent prayer to the Goddesses above, Dimitri nimbly snuck past the guards, one silent step at a time. While sneaking, he kicked a pebble on the floor by accident, alerting the creature guards. 

“Shoot.” Dimitri uttered, and rushed to hide in the shadows, out of sight from them. While it took a bit of time for the guards to inspect, they gave a shrug, and went back to their routine. The lancer took this as a cue to rush to the barrel, and quietly hide underneath it. 

His feet made the move to go on past the rest of the distractions and obstacles within the inner halls. Once reaching the door, Dimitri slipped by the next guard with the aid of his moving hiding spot, and by crossing a gap through a hanging lantern, he finally made his way to the last searchlight. He went through the same routine as with the other two: distract the operator, kill them, disable the light. Once the last one was decommissioned, he heard a ring from his pocket. 

“Claude.” Dimitri recognized, pulling out the charm in the process. 

_“Well, looks like that’s all of them disabled as I can see from my end.”_ Claude reported. “ _A job well done, Dimitri.”_ The teen in question smiled at the commendation. “ _I must say...you really got skill, and know how to get things done. Color me impressed.”_ If Dimitri heard correctly, it looked as though Claude’s tone was more genuine than his usual one. 

Dimitri couldn’t help but show his gratitude. “Thank you, it was nothing, truly.”

Claude tittered from his end. _“If you say so, Lancliness.”_ Then he cleared his throat. _“Moving on, if you can reach up to the upper level from where you’re standing now, you should be able to reach the ramp to the prison door entrance. Just keep in mind that a portion of where you’re supposed to cross is unavailable, so you need to sidle on what remains of that, which is a thin ledge.”_

“Got it.” Dimitri nodded. Off to the next stop he went, climbing up to the upper level to where the ramp was. Sure enough, once he was midway through crossing it, there’s a portion of the pathway that was missing, only a thin ledge remaining. 

“Here goes nothing.” Dimitri exhaled.

Back and palms pressed firmly against the wall, Dimitri carefully sidled his way across the ledge, which brought on some well-justified feelings of anxiety about the wide gap below. 

Several seconds later, Dimitri finally made it across to safer ground, and continued on until he saw something that he thought he would never see again.

“My spear! I’ve found it!” Dimitri exclaimed jovially, immediately getting it from the ground. It was indeed nice to have his weapon once more; finally, he can beat up some adversaries.

And he happened to be in luck, as there was another creature armed with both a shield and a machete. Time to engage in combat once more, this time fully armed.

“Bring it.” Dimitri dared the monster, to which the latter didn’t hesitate to lunge at the teen. He instantly rolled out of the way, and swung his spear at the creature, who blocked two of the swings, but got hit at the third. 

Once the thing was down, Dimitri hit the creature more using a lance twirl, then a thrust. With that, the monster was no more.

“Alright. That was over with.” Dimitri said, pumped up from the fight he just had. Putting back his spear, he made his way to the big, admittedly intimidating pair of doors that led to the prison. So, with all of his upper body strength, he pushed one door open, and then dashed indoors.

The room was extremely spacious for one. Secondly, the ceiling appeared to be located way up higher than he initially assessed. Thirdly, and most importantly, there was a huge cell at the side, housing three figures. Upon close inspection, he recognized the brown hair and its style of one of them. Dimitri’s eyes and smile widened in elation.

“Edelgard!” Dimitri called, catching the attention of the girl herself.

“Dimitri! You’re here...” Her hand reached out between the bars. “...I want to go home.”

“We will, El,” Dimitri vowed, his blue eyes becoming soft. “I promise.”

Unfortunately, it seemed like his promise would have to be revoked, as the giant bird from earlier suddenly descended down to the chamber. Even worse, it seemed like it had its prey at its line of sight. Dimitri.

Just before he could act to save himself, Dimitri was grabbed by the giant bird’s beak, and next thing he knew, he was being carried away. Away from his sister, and so far from fulfilling his goal.

“Dimitri! No!” Edelgard screamed, her hand reaching out once more to no avail.

“Edelgard!” He cried out in kind. Internally, he was upset at this turn of events; why did fate decide to play this cruel trick on them both, when they did nothing to deserve such pain? It was simply unfair.

He could only dangle helplessly as he was brought up higher and higher, until he came face to face with someone, standing from within the shadows. That figure inclined his head to the side, which signaled the giant bird to do his order.

Next thing he knew, Dimitri was flung off, far away from the Forsaken Fortress, and colliding with the waters below. His voice could only scream, scream for so many emotions coming out all at once. 

“I’m sorry, El...” he whispered once he can scream no more, crashing to the sea.

* * *

From the crow’s nest, Claude could only watch in horror as he witnessed Dimitri’s peril through his spyglass. Once it was over, he wordlessly placed it away, for once unable to process the whole thing. He felt like he let Dimitri down; he should’ve been there personally to stop the giant bird from attacking when he had the chance to. 

Clutching the Pirate’s Charm in his other hand, Claude’s eyes hardened as he went off the crow’s nest to meet with his crew.

“We saw what happened, Captain,” Ignatz began. “I can’t believe he was thrown away just like that...”

“It’s horrible, what that...thing did to him,” Leonie snarled.

“So what do we do now?” asked Raphael.

For a moment, Claude remained silent, and the length of it worried the others for a bit. However, he broke it, tone hardened with determination.

“We will press on. We will put down the person responsible for this...and hopefully, have faith that in some way, Dimitri will survive.”

* * *

In the evening calm of the sea’s waters, Dimitri floated, unconscious from his fall. Then something...a thing that looked like a boat, approached the motionless teen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder who saved Dimitri from a demise at sea...?
> 
> (If you want to discuss Dimiclaude stuff and Zelda stuff, here’s my twitter for you to check out!:
> 
> @Corinne_Nohrule)


	7. A New Guiding Ally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri finally comes face to face with his mysterious savior, who, to his surprise (and initial disbelief), turns out to be a boat capable of talking. From there, he is informed further about the mastermind behind the kidnapping, and how he has a long way to go before he can try and rescue his sister again.
> 
> So Dimitri does his first preparation for his new objective, and once its done, makes his way onward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is Chapter 7! Here, there and back again! 
> 
> Anyways, here is the next part, where we are introduced to Link—-I mean, Dimitri’s companion. Major first impressions are abound.  
> Okay, so I don’t have anything else to add apart from this quick note:
> 
> Because they didn’t experience the more traumatizing things that they had in their backstories in 3H, Dimitri and Edelgard are pretty much more well-adjusted here and remain close as step-siblings. Only thing that remains the same is that their parents are still deceased, in addition to the stuff they will experience originally from Wind Waker’s storyline.
> 
> P.S. That being said, there WILL be inside jokes in regards to the post-timeskip stuff, especially for Dimitri. It’s all in the matter of proper timing.
> 
> With that said, enjoy reading this new addition!

It was an abyss of darkness that he saw.

Neverending, vast, and very eerie to his senses. He had no idea why he was in this abyss, or even how he got there to begin with. Whenever he tried to walk, he would only levitate in its expansive space. It felt like swimming, but it was within a void of darkness and open air. 

_ “....Dimitri....” _

His ears perked up. He didn’t expect to hear a voice call out to him in this deep darkness, much less know he was here. From its pitch and tone, this voice was different; it was more mature, and he felt soothed by the way it said his name. Almost like how a parent would call out for him. 

_ “...Dimitri...” _

His eyes looked everywhere for the source of the voice, but he could find no face, no living being to connect the voice to. There was nothing in the void, living or non-living, yet someone knew he was in it.

“Hello?” Dimitri called out, his voice trailing off to echoes. “Who are you?!”

The calls to him persisted, the echoes pulsating even more in the darkness. It felt impeding, the sounds, the calls of his name, and with the ever present dark that remained surrounding him, the sensation felt blinding to his eyes.

_ “Wake up...Dimitri...” _

“How?!” screamed Dimitri, his confusion and frustration seeping in. “Tell me how?”

The voice became thunderous, the void itself pulsating to reflect this. 

_ “Pull yourself together! Open your eyes!” _

Unable to take anymore of the uncertainty and disarray, Dimitri squeezed his eyes shut, and then—-

* * *

With a gulp of breath, his eyes opened, able to see other things that aren’t the dark: the rays of the sun, the blue sky, the ceiling of a lagoon. Next, his hands moved to touch his surroundings, which was when he discerned that he wasn’t floating in the sea anymore. Upon loser inspection, Dimitri was able to see that he was actually in a boat, a small one at that.

He then moved to sit up, giving himself a stretch while asking himself, “W-Where...am I?” Dimitri rubbed his head; he wasn’t sure how long he was out for the count.

“Well? Have you come to your senses yet?” A voice, the same from earlier, surprised Dimitri in his position. 

“Who’s speaking? Where are you?” The teen called out, even searching with his head turning left and right.

Suddenly, the neck of the boat turned out, the mouth of the face moving to speak. “You are surprisingly dull-witted...”

Dimitri jumped from being startled, and he quickly fell on his behind. Did the boat just talk to him, or did being tossed to sea made him go mad and he was just seeing things? He didn’t know, and despite that, he didn’t care, as the lancer wanted answers.

“Is this some kind of joke?” Dimitri accused, pointing at the boat’s head. “You just **talked**!”

The boat belted out a vivacious laugh. Dimitri sighed out his silent woe, as his day just got stranger in a span of a few seconds. 

“Did I startle you?” asked the boat amusingly. “I suppose that it’s only natural that you’d react that way.” Dimitri swore the boat just gave a smug expression, though he couldn’t tell. “As wide as the world is, I am the only one that speaks the language of mankind.” 

The teen made himself sit straight, still not fully recovered from the discovery that was a speaking barque communicating directly at him. 

“I am the King of Blue Lions.” The boat declared, and he gazed intently at the younger, yet he was gentle. “Do not fear...I’m not your enemy.”

Dimitri nodded his head slowly, not knowing how else to respond. 

“Dimitri...” the King of Blue Lions began. “I have been watching you since you went to the Forsaken Fortress to save your sister.”

Now the teen’s head shot up in interest, “So...you were the one who saved me...”

“Indeed.” the vassal confirmed. “I saw your unconscious body floating all alone in the distant side of the Great Sea. I knew that I could not let you die, so I had you boarded at my back and took you somewhere safer.”

“I see...I’m grateful for your aid,” said Dimitri, staring directly at the boat’s face, willing to listen.

“It’s the least I could do,” said the King of Blue Lions. “In any case, I can see how your desire to protect your sister could give you the bravery to stand up to anything without fear...” But the boat gave a serious glare. “Yet, the bold attempt you just did was imprudent!”

Ouch. Dimitri wasn’t prepared to be hit with a critique such as that. Come to think of it, that statement reminded him of Claude’s words minutes before they departed Outset.

_ “You can’t possibly think about going to that place with nothing but that lance you got there. That’s not brave, it’s asinine!” _

Then again, Claude did assist him in that attempt at a rescue mission, so it left him to wonder what he could’ve missed in trying to succeed. Already, he wished that some spirited commentary from the pirate captain could help lift his spirits some.

He was so deep in thought that he almost missed the next exposition from the King of Blue Lions. “I suppose you saw him...the shadow that commanded that monstrous bird...”

Clutching his head, Dimitri tried to recall that memory, and indeed, he remembered a figure in the shadows giving a silent command to the giant bird just before he was thrown to the sea. “I...did. He looked imposing for someone whose face I couldn’t see.”

The boat gave a nod. “He is known...as the Fell King.” From there, the mood became tense and dreary even as the sun was radiating from outside the lagoon.  


“...He who obtained the power of the gods, and so attempted to conceal the world in shadows, and was ultimately sealed away by the very power he had hoped to control. He is that same Fell King...the one the ancient legends speak of.” The King of Blue Lions shook his head. “I do not know how the seal of the gods failed to keep him at bay, but now that the Fell King has returned, the world is now once again being threatened by his dark magic.”

The Fell King...Dimitri heard about him from the tales he and Edelgard had listened to in their youth. A malevolent being who only wished to take over the world, using a golden power that was meant to be a blessing by the gods. He couldn’t seem to fathom that the Fell King was truly unstoppable...And now that he connected the dots to the conclusion that this Fell King was the one who instigated the kidnappings, including his own sister’s, Dimitri felt nothing but developing resentment towards him.

“Tell me, Dimitri...” the boat spoke up again. “Do you still wish to save your sister from him?”

The blonde nodded his head. “I do.” 

“And will you do anything to save her?”

“Without a doubt.” Dimitri vowed.

“I see...” the vassal spoke, intrigued by the teen’s commitment. “Very well. From here on, I will guide you as we journey forward, giving you aid on what you must do and where you will go. The Fell King cannot be defeated by human hands, let alone by what little strength you possess.” 

The next part of information was the one that had Dimitri’s attention the most. “The key to defeating him is locked away in a power that you can wield only after much tribulations and challenges. Do you understand?”

A lingering nod was the response. “Yes. I do understand.”

The King of Blue Lions had his lips tilt up in a smile. “Well, in that case, we must be off! To the Great Sea!” His tone was valiant...for only a few seconds before he remembered something “...Ah.”

“Hm? What is it?” asked Dimitri. “What’s keeping us?”

“Afraid I got ahead of myself there.” The boat replied sheepishly. “Since as much as I am capable of speech...” His head turned downward in shame. “As a boat, I possess no sail. And a boat that has no sail can’t travel the seas.”

“...Oh.” was the only appropriate reaction Dimitri had for that admission. “So...what do we do now?”

“Thankfully, where we are at is an island far east from the Forsaken Fortress,” the boat explained. “An island that is a town full of merchants that sell a variety of goods. I am certain that you’ll be able to find someone who sells a sail there.”

With that in mind, Dimitri hopped off of the boat, ready to take on his first task of the day. 

“One more thing, Dimitri,” said the King of Blue Lions. “There is no time for you dawdle about; once you are done with getting the sail, do return as soon as you can.”

“Will do.” Dimitri replied, then he ran out of the enclosure, stepping into the light to travel across the plains to the entrance of Windfall Island.

* * *

The first thing the teen noticed as he reached the entryway arch was a man by the tree, hunched over and looking miserable. The man’s clothes were unkempt, sewn with patches on some parts, leading Dimitri to suspect that he was poor.

“You there! With the teal clothes!” the man called, causing Dimitri to pause in his tracks and lend his ear to the other. The poor man continued, “Please! Please! Save my poor daughter! I beg of you, please!” His voice became more frantic, to the point where he almost reached out to Dimitri to grab him. “Here I stand, begging!”

At first, Dimitri didn’t get the man’s plight, until the words of the postman helped him recall why.

_ “Haven’t you heard that young adolescents have been getting kidnapped lately from all regions of the Great Sea?” _

The teen concluded that this man must be the father of one of those kidnapped. While it was important to remember that Edelgard wasn’t the only victim of this, Dimitri knew he couldn’t fulfill the request until he was adequately prepared. So he gave an apologetic smile.

“Apologies, but I’m afraid I can’t—-“

“Well, crud! Having a kidnapped daughter doesn’t get you a single Rupee, you know!” nagged the poor man, who went back to his spot underneath the tree to sulk. Deciding not to bother him any further, Dimitri navigated his way to the center of the town, which were a conglomerate of shops and establishments in a row. 

“Sail...sail...where can I find one place that sells a sail?” Dimitri wondered to himself. Apparently his thoughts were so loud that it caught the attention of one of the island’s inhabitants. Said inhabitant was a youth whose hair was of viridian shade, and shoulder length in addition. He had a tired look on his face, with his eyes drooping every few seconds.

“Hey...you.” the green haired youth called.

“Yes? You called me?” Dimitri pointed to himself.

“Yeah...I can hear what you’re thinking from my napping spot, you know.” the other said, much to Dimitri’s embarrassment. “Anyways...the name’s Linhardt...” the youth, now known as Linhardt, paused to take a yawn. “...I manage a potion shop around here. From magic to healing tonics, I can make them; just make sure you give me some Chu Jelly so I can do that.”

“I...got it.” Dimitri affirmed.

“So...” another yawn from Linhardt. “You wanted to find a sail, yeah? Just head over to the town center over there...a guy with a wooly parka’s selling one. From what I heard, it’s almost a hefty price.”

“How much?” inquired the lancer.

“Eh...around 70 Rupees.” Linhardt answered. “By the way...did you even bring some money with you?”

Dimitri dug into his pockets, hoping by some sheer luck he brought some Rupees. Unfortunately, he turned up only 50 Rupees, represented by a purple Rupee. “I only got 50 with me.”

“That’s a big shame.” Linhardt mused. “But...since you sounded so serious about getting the sail, I’ll do you a favor and give you 20. That sound okay for you?”

Dimitri grinned at the offer. “That would be wonderful! How can I ever thank you?”

“Like I said, just go to my shop if you want yourself a potion. You still need to bring Chu Jelly for it to happen though.” the viridian-haired youth responded, digging into his pockets and handing over a red Rupee, equivalent to 20 Rupees. “Here you go.”

“Thank you, truly.” 

“Anytime. Now...time to go back to my napping spot...” Linhardt yawned, going back to a spot underneath some shade, and dozed off within seconds.

With that done, Dimitri made it to the island’s town center, where people were roaming and bustling about. Then, amidst the crowd, he spotted the man in the blue parka, in a stall underneath another establishment. The lancer approached the merchant.

“Hello, there! I’ve heard you were selling a sail.” Dimitri greeted. The merchant in question, who perked up at the lancer’s inquiry, had silver hair and tan skin complimenting it. His eyes were gentle, and overall gave a friendly aura.

“Ah...to think that someone was willing to buy one of the wares that I have left from my travels to Windfall,” the merchant said. “My homeland was often struck with blizzards...and wanting to escape, I packed all that I had and made my way here. Unfortunately, the storms along the way forced me to lighten my load, and thus I had to give up even most valuable items behind.” His tone went to somber by that admission, which made Dimitri feel sorry for the other.

“I don’t have much to sell, just the sail that you mentioned earlier. Before, I put it at a price to 200 Rupees for it, but since you were willing to buy it at my new price, which is 70, I’ll gladly give it to you.” the merchant said with pride. “You’ve made me, Dedue, very glad.”

“It’s no problem,” Dimitri responded with a positive arc on his lips. Thus, two made their exchange, and Dimitri rushed back to the King of Blue Lions, a sail at hand. The boat smiled at his accomplishment.

“Well done, Dimitri! Now that we have a sail, we will be able to begin our quest.” By that statement, Dimitri hopped on board the King of Blue Lions and hoisted the sail. The sail was triangular in design, an off white for its fabric, letting the light pass through despite its translucence. At its center were three giant light blue strokes, ones that resembled the trail of wind.

“The wind is currently blowing east, which means it will be easier for us to reach our first stop just next to Windfall,” said the King of Blue Lions. “Now, let’s sail!”

With the help of Dimitri paddling the rudder to go outside the enclosure, the sail caught the east wind, and pushed the boat forward, guiding them to their incoming destination. An island with a tall for a mountain as its centerpiece, a circle of smoke surrounding the top.

Dimitri felt the wind flow through his hair once more, the freedom of the gales dancing in his direction giving him a boost in some way. It was like the first time he left Outset, except this time, he was mostly alone to experience the gust fly by. However, he chose to let it soothe him...

...and bring him to where he had to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, his name is the King of Blue Lions...how original. XD
> 
> You guys are curious as to who is the King of Blue Lions? Welp, too bad, I’m keeping it a secret. XD
> 
> Also, yes, the poor guy who was begging to Dimitri for help was Baron Ochs.
> 
> (Interact with me on twitter if you wish to discuss with me some fandom stuff!:  
> @Corinne_Nohrule)


	8. Dragon Roost Island

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri has arrived at the island known as Dragon Roost, and gets a new item that lets him learn a special power connected to music and the winds. He then meets a wind deity, and after that exchange, earns a new ability to control wind direction.
> 
> As he journeys upward, he reunites with the postman, now known as Seteth, where he is informed of something bigger happening to the island, which isn’t a good kind of situation...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 8! Hope it’s great.  
> ...  
> Okay, but in all seriousness, here is Dragon Roost Island, and for those of you who are feeling nostalgic, I suggest listening to this AMAZING cover of Dragon Roost Island’s theme while reading this chapter: https://youtu.be/fNiQ9W98FRo
> 
> Also, my love for lore exposition is clearly shown here, I’m sorry if parts are wordy because of it :’)
> 
> Anyways, enjoy reading this new part!

The King of Blue Lions treaded steadily, yet quick as he and his passenger sailed to their incoming destination. Rays of the sun shone directly below, its radiance almost distracting the seafarer in his view of the island, which got closer and closer. Along the ride, there were even some seagulls that chose to chirp and fly beside Dimitri, giving the latter a sense of comfort with them reminding him of who he was doing all of this for.

While waiting to be near, the King of Blue Lions thought it would be nice to strike up some conversation with the young lancer.

“So, Dimitri...this is your first time sailing on your own.”

Dimitri nodded, giving off a bashful laugh. “Yes. Before yesterday, I never got to travel on the Great Sea at all.” He looked to his right, knowing that beyond that line at the horizon, was his home. “All my life I only knew the comfort of Outset Island.”

“I see,” the boat hummed. “With the mission we are taking part in, it is definitely a good time for you to familiarize yourself with the art of sailing.”

After that, they remained silent for a little bit longer, the water’s currents pushed back by the King of Blue Lions pushing forward with the wind’s aid. That is, until the boat’s head tilted up north, as if it was pointing. “We made it, Dimitri! Our destination is now at reach.”

Seeing this opportunity to look it up closely, Dimitri now saw that the island wasn’t just purely a mountain, as there was a little shore situated just at its front. Rock formations surrounded that landform, and Dimitri could see some people standing on them like lookouts. Then there were wooden boards, built together like platforms, distance just way above the water’s surface. 

At the top of the mountain, was a giant and robust dragon, red in scales, sitting up. However, Dimitri could’ve sworn that dragon didn’t look too jovial or even calm for someone just seated at the summit. He wondered why.

* * *

As the vassal got slower and slower, he began to give some exposition. “High atop the summit’s peak lives the spirit of the skies...a great dragon whose name is Valoo.” The King of Blue Lions finally stopped when they reached shore, the sail even put away for convenience, yet he continued to speak his words. “You must go to see this dragon and request from him a jewel known as Din’s Pearl.”

“Din’s Pearl...so the Goddess of Flame is this island’s patron?” Dimitri asked, disembarking off his boat companion’s back. He was only young then, but Dimitri and Edelgard were indeed taught the pantheon of the ancient deities that influenced their culture, and aside from their own patron goddess Farore, Din and Nayru were names they remembered. 

“Precisely,” the boat confirmed with a little bow. “And Valoo serves as her emissary for the tribe that lives on this island, the Rito.” As the blonde stepped on the shore, he faced the King of Blue Lions for any other important things to note. “So I have to ask the Rito about how to get Din’s Pearl?”

“Mhmm. More specifically how to get an audience with Valoo, so he may fulfill your request.” 

Dimitri took this as his cue to proceed, but the boat’s voice stopped him.

“Oh, I almost forgot! Wait just a moment.” The King of Blue Lions called, and suddenly, Dimitri saw a wand in between the boat’s upper and lower mouth flaps. From what he can see, it had swirls on its handle, resembling the trails of wind.

“This is the Wind Waker!” began the King of Blue Lions. “It’s a baton of sorts that was used a long time back when people played music to talk with the gods in prayer. Back in those times, simply using it allowed one to harness the gods’s power, but I’m unsure whether that’s still the case.” The boat’s head leaned forward, to Dimitri’s hands. “Even so, I thought it could be of some use to you. Perhaps you should try using it.”

Dimitri took ahold of the baton, and traced its shape with his fingers. Aside from it being slender, the Wind Waker did have a certain shimmer to it, even leaving a trail of sparkling light when he made a bit of a wave with it. Perhaps this baton from old still had its magic even years after its first use.

Straightaway, Dimitri held the baton by its handle, his other hand free and ready to guide in his conducting. “Okay...now what?” The teen asked bluntly.

“First, conduct in 3/4 time,” lectured the King of Blue Lions. “Meaning, you must wave it in three directions. Try doing up, down, left.”

“Alright, I’ll start off.” Dimitri waved up, then down, then to his left, with a light touch of grace to it.

“Not bad!” The boat praised. “Next, try 4/4 time, wave in four directions this time. Do up, left, right, down.”

Dimitri, now beginning to become familiar with the basics, waved it in the directions the boat asked, this time adding some more refinement to it.

“Well done, my boy! That was not a bad first try for your first time using the Wind Waker, not bad at all!” cheered the King of Blue Lions. “Now, you must be on your way. Don’t dawdle!”

“Understood.” Dimitri replied, and then proceeded to find his away around the place. First order of business was finding a way to get inside, and luckily there was a sign that directed to the Mail Center at the upper path, and a Wind Shrine just straight from where he was standing. 

“I could probably make a quick stopover at this Wind Shrine...I’m still new to this place, so why not do some exploring?” Dimitri wandered to himself, and so entered the archway, that on the other side, lead to a much smaller island. On the island was an ornate arch, and beyond that were two stone markers, one of them disfigured. 

Dimitri took a good look at the one that remained intact, and from there he saw what looked like diamonds that had arrows within them.

“Directions...this must mean something.” On a hunch, Dimitri pulled out his newly-acquired Wind Waker, and conducted the markings shown.

Up, right, left.

Then out of nowhere, a burst of wind came by, blowing up north towards where Dimitri was standing. He felt the wind flow by so suddenly, and looked on at where the wind just blew.

“Did I just make that happen...?” Dimitri asked aloud, still staring dazedly upward.

“Yep! That was miiiiiighty fine breeze you just made!” 

Surprised by the voice, Dimitri pivoted to his side to find the new addition next to him. A frog-like creature, sitting on a puff of clouds, and with a dragon-like tail to add. Colored blue, with an antennae sticking up its head.

“Gah! Who are you and where did you come from?!” Dimitri asked, jumping in surprise.

The frog-like being shifted to Dimitri’s right, and laughed jovially. “I go by many names, Indech, Venti, Zephos...but one thing that remains the same is that I am the God of Winds.”

Dimitri tilted his head, puzzled. “God of Winds? But isn’t Farore—“

“The Goddess of Wind? Of course!” the God of Winds answered with another laugh. “She’s just my superior, and like all the Spirits here in this Great Sea, I am one of the Golden Goddesses’ emissaries.” He explained.

Much like how Valoo was Din’s emissary, Dimitri thought to himself. He should’ve really caught up more in his homeschooling.

“So, you’re the new Wind Waker, aren’t ya?” the frog deity said, more as a fact. He then looked at Dimitri from one angle, then another. “Yes, yes! For a beginner, you’ve got a nice wind sense about you.” His hand gave a big pat to Dimitri’s back, making the latter stumble on his feet. “I like you, kid!”

The deity gave a meaningful look over the intact stone monument. “That tune you just picked up? It gives you control over the direction the wind blows!”

Raising his hand, the lancer made a hum, intrigued. “I didn’t feel any breeze before I played it, so I guess that musical piece made the wind blow my way.” Dimitri commented.

“You got it, dear boy! In any case, depending on how it’s used, wind can be a good thing...” the wind god then got rigid in his posture, eyebrows furrowing.“...or a very bad thing.”

“How so?”

“Well...you should see my brother.” Indech then shifted close to the destroyed stone monument. “Sad to say, my brother, Macuil, remains very upset about his monument here damaged, and now, he spends his time making cyclones to torment people.”

The blonde only frowned sympathetically. “I could see how such disrespect can bring his wrath...but he couldn’t just hurt people meaninglessly!”

The God of Winds made a solemn nod. “Right, dear boy.” His cloud carried him back to Dimitri’s left side, facing him once more. “So, if you see and encounter any cyclones at sea...chastise my brother for me, will you?”

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”

“And THAT...is my only request for you! May the winds guide you on your way!” Then the God of Winds blew away, boosted by gales that carried him far to the skies. After a moment of awkward silence since the deity’s departure, Dimitri had only this for an afterthought.

“Such a nice deity he was...”

Then he proceeded back to the front of Dragon Roost Island, where he encountered blocks of stone hindering his path upward to the Mail Center. 

“What a nuisance...can’t even get up with all these rocks in the way.” Dimitri pouted. “I wonder how can I get them out of the way.”

He then had his attention turned to the budding flowers, which were blue, and suspiciously looked like bombs. “I guess it couldn’t hurt to test what I think should be the solution.”

His hands moved to pick up the big flower bud, and immediately he saw that sparks were flying of its top. Indeed, it was going to explode, and right in his face if he didn’t toss it right now. So he threw it right at the big boulder, and the bomb flower exploded at the right time, breaking the rock into pieces. Now he could proceed.

* * *

As he moved forward, he got more flower bombs to clear the remaining boulders that appeared after the first big one. Dimitri then encountered a thin ledge to sidle on, which he managed to do (and found a purple Rupee to boot, but he had no idea how THAT managed to hang on such a small space). Then with one last bomb flower, he cleared the remaining obstacle and made his way to the overlook, where he spotted a familiar figure.

“It’s you! The postman who visited my island yesterday!” Dimitri called.

The postman in question decided to pause in his idle viewing of the outside, and pivoted to face the lancer. His expression went from serious to lightly amused.

“Dimitri, it is you!” The mail carrier greeted in a bit of delight. “I’m pleased to see that you’re okay.”

“Same here, Mister...?”

“Seteth.” The postman revealed. “My name is Seteth. I apologize for not formally introducing myself before.”

“It’s alright; I’m just glad that you were a big help.” Dimitri praised.

Seteth gave an idle hum, contrasting with his serious mug. “I must say...you’ve traveled far for one with no wings.”

Dimitri chuckled, scratching at his nape. “Oh...I did have some help.”

“That’s nice to hear...” Seteth commented. “And your sister, is she...?”

Now Dimitri could only gaze to the side, not saying a single word. Despite having a new plan of action to rescue Edelgard, the hurt from being separated and uncertainty of her safety was all the same. A part of him hoped for a quicker way, but the foe he had to face was said to be too powerful to beat without the key to defeating him. How he hoped that his dear sister would be able to remain steadfast.

Thankfully, Seteth accepted Dimitri’s silence as his answer. “...I understand. Don’t worry too much; I’m certain she’ll hang in there, and you’ll be able to save her.” The green-haired Rito even gave a comforting gesture to Dimitri’s shoulder to lift up his spirits, which did leave a smile on the teen’s face.

Then, Seteth’s face lit up in thought. “Wait, I have an idea...Dimitri, why don’t you come and meet our chieftain?”

The teen’s mouth opened in a near gasp. “The chieftain? Of the Rito tribe?” Dimitri repeated.

“Yes. I’ve told everyone here about you, and all of us Rito are very concerned.” Seteth informed. From the way his eyes narrowed ever so lightly, Dimitri noted that there must be something bigger concerning the Rito. “I’m certain that the chieftain will befriend you and lend you the aid of our aerie.”

“Hmmm...it might be quite an esteemed gesture...” Dimitri began, jitters getting evident in his tone. “...However, it’s not the first time I’ve met a leader of a group, so I’ll gladly do it.” He concluded, while still wondering if said leader was doing fine in the meantime.

“It’s settled, then!” Seteth exclaimed with finality. “I’ll fly on ahead and let everyone know about your arrival.” His arms then transformed into enormous wings, flapping them to help him leave the ground. “Come inside, Dimitri! I’ll be waiting.” Then Seteth flew upward, going inside the mountain of Dragon Roost. 

Spotting a wooden ramp just nearby, Dimitri got a move on and walked briskly to the cavernous entrance, which would hopefully lead him directly to the chieftain. A few steps inside, and sure enough, there were stone ramps that led further inward and upward, and in the center, there was a flock of Rito gathered in one spot. One of them had a headdress and outfit befitting someone in authority, leading to Dimitri to correctly deduce that the man was the chieftain.

The chieftain had long purple locks, and wore a long red tabard over his white robe. He was currently speaking to another Rito about something important. “Well? Have you found the cause of the great Valoo’s anger? I hope an answer is found soon...”

“Excuse me?” Dimitri called politely. “I hope I wasn’t being too rude by interrupting your talk with him.”

The chieftain’s expression became serene upon seeing it was the person he was expecting. “Ah, so you are Dimitri, are you?”

Dimitri bowed in respect. “Indeed, I am. It’s an honor to meet you, Rito Chieftain.”

Said chieftain gave a chuckle at the formality. “I like your politeness. My name is Rodrigue, leader of the Rito tribe. Seteth has told me all about you.”

Dimitri proceeded to tell Rodrigue the whole situation, from his sister’s kidnapping to his failed first attempt in rescuing her and how he’s hoping for a greater second chance. 

Rodrigue nodded solemnly. “A troubling tale, indeed...I insist that you let us here know if there’s anything we can do to help. We will do everything we can to assist you.” 

“I appreciate it.” Dimitri grinned at the offer for assistance. “I’ll keep it in thought.”

“Glad to know.” Rodrigue replied cordially. Then the look in his eyes hardened. “In the meantime...we do have a problem of our own to deal with.”

Dimitri made a heedful expression. “What could be troubling you now?”

Whatever it was, Dimitri hoped that in some way, he could mitigate the situation troubling the inhabitants of Dragon Roost Island.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yes, Rodrigue is the Rito Chieftain here, which could only mean one thing...that his son will be seen in the next chapter! Stay tuned.
> 
> Also, good luck guessing who the King of Blue Lions is! I’m still keeping it under wraps. >:3c


	9. A Secluded Prince

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri hears about the Rito’s plight with their Sky Spirit and island guardian, Valoo, namely the dragon’s recent hostility. While it is unpleasant for him to wait until the Rito could assist him in what he needs, Dimitri accepts an errand concerning the Rito Prince, Felix.
> 
> One not-so nice first meeting later, Dimitri aids attendant-in-training Annette in reaching the entrance to Dragon Roost Cavern, which he himself goes through shortly after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 9 is here! And a bit earlier than usual. XD
> 
> So, Rodrigue was introduced in the last chapter, right? Well, say hello to Felix in this next one! He’s still as grumpy as he is in Three Houses, but who knows, he might get better.
> 
> Anyways, here’s the addition; enjoy reading!

“Dimitri...” Seteth began. “When you first arrived here at Dragon Roost, did you notice a giant dragon perched atop the island’s peak?”

The lancer nodded. “Yes, I did remember seeing the dragon as I got closer to the island. I was told of his name, Valoo.”

“So you did hear of him,” Rodrigue noted, letting out a thoughtful hum. “As you can see, we Rito are profoundly connected to the skies above. We make our livings on the airways.”

The chieftain’s head tilted upwards, as if acknowledging the presence of the dragon himself. “We do so by the graces of the sky spirit, Valoo. When a Rito comes of age, he or she takes a journey to reach the top of Dragon Roost, to receive a scale of the great dragon.” 

With that said, Rodrigue and Seteth reveal their own neckbands, attached to it a diamond-like ruby scale. “This scale that we wear is what enables the Rito to grow his or her wings.”

Then, Rodrigue tilted his head back down more to face Dimitri directly. “Though, recently, the once gentle Valoo has now grown hostile and unpredictable. Because of that, we can sadly no longer approach him.”

Dimitri let out a little gasp from this information. “Oh no...and you don’t know what’s causing his anger?” He asked, though more as a statement.

“Sadly, that’s correct,” Rodrigue confirmed, a corner of his mouth turned down. “If this continues, the fledglings from our tribe will be unable to receive scales from Valoo on Dragon Roost. Without wings, in time, our way of life will be threatened.”

Dimitri could only lend an ear to their plight, taking in the reality of the situation of the Rito. If a generation of their tribe remained wingless, their connection to the sky will be severed, and their culture at risk. He felt such a deep desire to help, even if he only just met them now.

“As the leader of the Rito, my first responsibility is to solve this problem,” said Rodrigue, then gave an remorseful frown. “My apologies, Dimitri, but I have to ask of you to wait for our assistance until this is done. Will you do so?”

Thankfully, Dimitri replied with an understanding nod and a small grin. “Certainly. I do see how this problem is important for you to resolve.”

Rodrigue emitted a little chuckle from that. “I like your patience, dear boy. In any case—-“

“Chieftain,” Seteth spoke up suddenly, urging Rodrigue to give the former his attention. “What do you think about consulting Dimitri in regards to your son, Prince Felix?”

Now this was new. He hadn’t heard about this Prince Felix before, so Dimitri stayed to listen to Seteth’s exchange.

“As you can see, Dimitri’s a very valorous youth!” Seteth assured in a not-so covert whisper to the chieftain. “I feel certain that Prince Felix will be able to open up to Dimitri and freely express his worries and troubles.” Something was troubling the Rito prince? Whatever it was, it appeared that this concern also troubled the chief for a while, judging from his face that spoke of consideration.

“That may be...” Rodrigue uttered so lowly that only Seteth and Dimitri managed to catch it. Speaking of which, the chieftain turned to address the latter.

“Ah, if you need to know some context...” Rodrigue began. “My son, Felix, is one of those of age to earn his wings. Yet...he is troubled, in some ways, and by the current predicament we have regarding Valoo, he may consider giving up on ever getting them...” His eyes sagged downward, and his lips formed a sorrowful grimace. Dimitri could tell that as much as Rodrigue wanted to aid his son, he had no idea how to go about it. The chief was already grasping at straws for the sake of his own offspring, despite his collectedness.

“What say you? Will you share some of your courage with my son?” Rodrigue begged the younger blonde, to which the latter didn’t delay his response.

“I can certainly try.” Though, he was unsure as to how this Prince Felix was like in terms of their demeanor. Dimitri hoped that he can try and be a pillar of strength for Rodrigue’s son.

“I can’t thank you enough, lad.” Rodrigue replied. “We will do what we can to alleviate our situation as fast as possible, so we can help you better with yours. Anyways...I have something I must give to Felix...a young girl named Annette is holding it for me. Would you find her and take it?” 

The chieftain then took his cue to leave. “I am counting on you!” He then stepped away from the chamber and left, Dimitri and Seteth looking on.

“Oh, I almost forgot, Dimitri!” Seteth spoke up, reaching for something in his person. “Take this with you! It might come in handy for you in the future.” The Rito postman pulled out a delivery bag, finely crafted by the Rito tribesmen themselves, and handed it over to Dimitri, who accepted it gratefully.

“Thanks again, Seteth,” Dimitri answered, latching the delivery bag on his belt. “I’m sure something will come up that I will need this bag.”

“Surely. Now, you should be able to find Annette in one of the upper rooms,” Seteth explained. “Leave the great Valoo to us. In the meantime, please do your best to help Prince Felix!”

And with a burst of his wings, he went off and flew upward to presumably handle the situation with the Sky Spirit. At this time, Dimitri thought that it was a good time to go and meet up with this Annette that Seteth and the Chieftain had mentioned. So he located the ramp leading up, and trekked his way to the first upper room that was not strictly guarded. 

He went inside, and at the center of the room, was a young, red headed Rito standing in front of a stone desk. Like the Chieftain, she was wearing a red tabard over her gray and blue dress, but it wasn’t as ornate as Rodrigue’s.

“Wow! You DO truly have teal-colored clothes and a sturdy lance...” The girl tilted her head, amused. “You’re Dimitri, aren’t you?”

“That’s me!” Dimitri answered. “And you must be Annette, right?”

“Oh me? You’re right! I’m Annette, attendant to the Sky Spirit, Valoo.” Annette introduced, ending with a polite bow. Although, she clutched her hands accompanied by a bashful laugh. “Well, actually, I’m not a full-fledged attendant just yet; I’m still in training to become one.”

“Oh...noted,” was Dimitri’s only comment on that remark. “By the way, I was told by the chieftain that you have something that I’m supposed to give to the prince.”

Annette let out a sound of surprise. “Right! I almost forgot...” She dug into her pockets and handed over an envelope to Dimitri. From the inscription, it was definitely a letter from Rodrigue to his son. A part of him asked why didn’t the chieftain just directly delivered it himself...until he was reminded of the predicament with Valoo. That problem must have occupied Rodrigue that he barely had time to make this letter happen.

“Prince Felix’s room is on the first floor, way at the back. You do need to take a couple more steps down to reach there, though.” Annette informs him. “When you meet up with him, please don’t get too upset about his behavior...he has no bad intentions, I promise.”

Dimitri nodded. “Alright. Well, I’ll be off to see the prince—-“

“Um, actually...I have another favor to ask...” Annette began, sounding a bit reluctant, but she pushed on anyways. “...Could you come to the entrance of Dragon Roost Cavern afterwards? I’ll explain why later.”

He could just say no since he already had tasks after tasks to accomplish, but out of that feeling that it could lead to something regarding the Rito’s situation, he said a simple, “Yes.”

“Wonderful! I’ll see you then,” waved Annette, which Dimitri took as his cue to go and deliver the letter to Prince Felix.

* * *

Following the directions Annette had given, Dimitri managed to reach the Rito Prince’s room. As he entered, the lancer noted how big the room was, with the size of its carpet almost filling up the whole floor. At the corner of the room, laid a youth who had violet hair, similar to that of Rodrigue’s, wearing his night robes and playing with a big, glowing orb in his hands. Dimitri knew he was in the right place.

“Prince Felix.” Dimitri called out, approaching the teen on the bed.

Prince Felix slowly got up from his position, and sat up, still holding the orb in his hands. “Huh? Who are you supposed to be? And what are you doing around here?” The tone in his voice was abrasive, which said a lot despite it also being drowsy.

“Excuse me, I’m Dimitri and—“

“What do you want from me, huh?” said the prince defensively, his face almost angry. “I...well, I don’t want anyone to speak with me right now! I’m not interested.”

“But this is important, Your Highness.” Dimitri raised, already holding on to his patience so as not to lose it too soon. He dug into his delivery bag, and handed out the envelope directly at Prince Felix’s face. “I was tasked to give you a letter.”

Felix promptly snatched the envelope from Dimitri’s hands and inspected it. “A letter? From my father?” The prince proceeded to read it, and instead of the heartwarming smile that Dimitri hoped, Felix gave a sour frown. 

“Oh sure, telling me to be brave is so easy for father to do...It’s not like he’s one who had to go through that horrible trial...” Prince Felix’s voice got raised even louder in his indigence. “It’s not like HE still has to get a scale from Valoo...” 

He then looked up and glared at Dimitri’s eyes. 

“You were mentioned here too, you know...” Prince Felix accused, pointing at Dimitri. “Poking your snout in everyone’s business...you’re such a boar, always digging into the dirt of everyone’s affairs.”

“Now wait a minute there—-“

Prince Felix then abruptly turned his back on Dimitri, full on scowling and downright unhappy. “I’m sorry, but I’m not intending to see Valoo anytime soon. I mean, how can I if he’s just as upset as I am?”

Uh oh, this was going downhill all too fast. “You know that won’t last for too long, Prince Felix,” Dimitri tried to assure him. “Valoo will calm down eventually—“

“By whom? YOU?” Felix butt in, clearly becoming abrasive. “Don’t lie. Bragging won’t get you anywhere.”

At this point, Dimitri was so tempted to lose that calmness he hung onto in favor of clashing in words with the prince. However, he couldn’t risk anymore hostility being formed, so he took a deep breath and kept his patience in check.

“I’ll tell you what: If you can find someone who can get through all of the obstacles in this island to get to Valoo...THEN I’ll listen to anything you’ll say!” Prince Felix concluded, and was ready to lie back down on his bed when Dimitri noticed the orb he was holding looked important. “Wait, Your Highness! What’s that you have in your hands?”

“What, this?” Felix held up the orb in his grasp. “It’s something precious to me, which oddly enough, helps me forget the troubles I had and still have...It’s called Din’s Pearl. My brother, Glenn, gave it to me.”

Dimitri’s eyes widened. That was the pearl he needed for his journey.

“Glenn...even if he was the heir to the Rito tribe’s leadership, he still learned to become an attendant for Valoo. He was the only one here who understood Valoo’s language.” Felix’s eyes then became glossy, but tried to hold back his sadness openly. 

“Dear brother...if he were still around, he would’ve found a way to calm Valoo down...I just know it. The rest, including my father, would just simply fail.”

Then his face went back to being aggressive. “You can stare at this all you want, boar, but I’m not giving it to anyone! That includes you.”

Dimitri simply exhaled his inner frustrations out, and went for the door. “If you say so, Prince Felix.” He then exited the place, and went back to the center hall. Once there, he let out a frustrated grunt. The prince was certainly a piece of work to deal with; it was a miracle Dimitri came out of it still in one piece.

With that out of the way, he proceeded to go Dragon Roost cavern’s entrance. Passing through a path at the west, he made it through the opening.

* * *

Once outside, he moved past some dried flowers, and then leapt off the ledge to meet up with Annette, standing at the center next to some giant rock. 

“Dimitri!” Annette greeted. “You made it! Truly sorry for bringing you to a risky place like this, but I had to! If I wasn’t so desperate, I wouldn’t be doing this.” 

“No, no, it’s alright, Annette,” Dimitri assured. “Hearing it from you, I can tell it’s very serious.”

“Thanks, again,” the redhead nodded. “Anyways, where we’re standing in right now? This used to be a spring, filled with warm, soothing water...it was a nice place to relax in.” Her eyes became downcast. “Then Valoo’s temper flared, and well...one of the rocks thrown in his rage blocked the water, and now it’s but an empty pit.” 

Then her demeanor changed, remembering something. “Oh, before I forget! How was Prince Felix?”

_‘The prince was such an ill-tempered person and I think we should knock some sense into him,’_ was what Dimitri wanted to say, but instead said, “Prince Felix was very upset when I met up with him...he’s probably taking this situation the hardest.”

“Oh...that doesn’t sound right...not right at all...” Annette muttered. “Well, I can’t help but blame myself partially for Felix’s sudden change...See, his brother, Prince Glenn, was Valoo’s former attendant.” 

She looked to the side, her smile small and nostalgic. “He was an amazing man...I’m honored that I got the opportunity to have him as my mentor.Kind and honorable, Prince Glenn was without rival when it came to his dealings with the Sky Spirit.” Her chest heaved a sigh. “If only I were as strong as he was, then maybe Prince Felix would’ve been more secure.”

Dimitri, feeling sorry for Annette, gave her a reassuring bow of his head. “I’m sure you will come to your own as an attendant in your own right.”

The Rito girl giggled. “I’m glad you believe in me.” 

Her face then turned dire through her eyelids dropping low. “I’m sorry to say this...but I need your help! I want to go to the small shrine that’s near Dragon Roost’s peak, but the ledge there is so high...and the winds flowing chaotically doesn’t help things either.”

“Hmmmm...” Dimitri hummed in thought, then snapped his fingers in a eureka moment. “I know! How about I try tossing you up from that ramp there,” he points to the ramp behind him. “When the breeze is flowing where we need it?”

Annette squeaked in delight. “That’s a great idea! Then with good timing, I can make it up! Oh, I’ll be able to make it, thanks to you.”

Without wasting anymore time, Dimitri hoisted Annette up on his shoulders, and took her to the ramp. The breeze was becoming more aggressive with the telltale rage of Valoo happening above. Just then, the wind blew north, and quickly, Dimitri tossed Annette into the air, she spreading her wings and flying up to the upper ledge.

“Okay! I made it!” Annette called and waved from her spot. “I’ll be going on ahead; if you can find a way to unplug that boulder blocking the spring water, then you’ll be able to swim up here too.” She made her move to leave. “Best of luck, Dimitri!”

Seeing her leave, Dimitri looked at the boulder, and then remembered the dried up buds from when he entered earlier. His face lit up.

“Maybe I can make the buds grow into those bomb flowers! Now let’s see if I have something to carry the water with...” Digging into his pockets, Dimitri managed to uncover a small glass bottle from within his spoils bag. Huh. Guess Lorenz had the foresight to assist him in obtaining items, solid and liquid.

Dimitri gathered some water from the spring, and then proceeded to climb back up to where the dried buds were staying. He watered them, and watched as the buds became blue and formed that tell-tale shape of a bomb. His hands picked it up quickly, and with timing, tossed it towards the boulder, the bomb flower exploding just as it touched the rock. With the obstruction gone, the water sprung forth, restoring the spring into its former state. 

The lancer then swam to the other side, and made his way to another obstacle, which thankfully was resolved with more bomb flowers that cleared a path. Walking onward, he went up the steps, making his way into the heart of the island...

Dragon Roost Cavern.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Man, Felix needs a hug.
> 
> Moving on, the next chapter is gonna be the next dungeon of this story, Dragon Roost Cavern. I don’t want to make the next chapter too long, but I’ll try to make it as suitable as possible.
> 
> Here’s my Twitter if you’re interested to talk with me about fandom stuff!:  
> https://twitter.com/Corinne_Nohrule


	10. The Scorching Cavern

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri enters Dragon Roost Cavern, a scorching hot location that’s already made more risky to trek with the tremors from Valoo’s temper. Despite the area’s challenges (including Annette being in danger), he manages to survive...
> 
> ...Survive long enough to face the monster responsible for Valoo’s misfortune, the Infernal Arachnid, Gohma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 10! There and back again.
> 
> Okay, so here’s the new addition, and it primarily features dungeon crawling, even if I didn’t make the rooms and locations within them so specific and descriptive (since it would be too long and I’m not the best at dungeon crawling parts in writing :’D)
> 
> P.S. I added a little tidbit from Fire Emblem: Heroes, specifically a crit activation line. See if you can spot it (this one’s easy).
> 
> With that done, enjoy the chapter! :D

Dimitri’s first impression of Dragon Roost Cavern was that it was dark, with limited amount of light that barely lit up the room. There were three blocks, one of them even covered with moss.

“So this is it?” Dimitri asked aloud, wondering if there was anymore to this chamber. “I wonder if there’s anymore—-oh.” But he second-guessed himself after he spotted one statue having a longer space at its front. 

On a hunch, Dimitri pulled on the leftmost statue, and behind it, revealed that the second statue had blocked an entryway behind it. Pulling the second one to its right, Dimitri now revealed the entry to the next chamber.

Once he went inside, he quickly saw two creatures, just like the ones he encountered from Outset Island before. Without much prompting, he set off to finish them as per usual. 

After the beatdown of those two Bokoblins, he promptly grabbed one of the flaming sticks and lit up the two torches conspicuously close to each other. In a flash, a chest appeared in between them. Curious, Dimitri opened it to find a small key.

His view going from the key to the locked door just nearby, he quickly figured out what to do. 

Thanks to the unlocked key, he made his way to a very large chamber, crisscrossed with bridges, ledges, and wooden pathways. It was also scorching hot from the lava that filled the gaps below. Dimitri didn’t even take a step and already there were tremors shaking the whole room. 

“Valoo’s rage is getting stronger...I must hurry.”

The time limited on his hands, Dimitri swiftly made it to the next chamber that had an item he needed, the map of the cavern. He unfurled the paper, and looked for the next path he had to take. His direction led him to a room where there were entryways barricaded by thick wood. Curious, Dimitri approached the nearest wooden barricade...

...and a Bokoblin popped out of it for his trouble.

“Shoot!” Dimitri exclaimed, narrowly avoiding the strike from the Bokoblin’s machete. He landed a swing of his lance, and when the Bokoblin retaliated with its own strikes (that Dimitri blocked with his shield), Dimitri finished with a powerful thrust into the creature’s chest, ending it. Though it wasn’t over, as there were flying Fire Keese joining this travesty of a gathering. 

“Come on, now.”

A couple of lance stabbings later, the Keese were no more, and for some reason, they also dropped some Rupees, which would be a riddle for the ages. This ordeal also earned him a new spoil from a chest, a trinket called a Joy Pendant, pretty appropriate considering he was relieved to survive that unpleasant surprise.

There were more obstacles that he cleared, such as the boulder hanging on the side that got cleared by the bomb flowers next to it (making a shortcut). As well as another small key that lead him to a new room. Now that particular room had Dimitri startled, since there was another unwanted company that wasn’t a Bokoblin or those flying flaming Keese.

“A rat?!” Dimitri yelled out, the rat scampering about on the floor with a squeak that sounded like a laugh, almost like it was mocking the lancer. How a rat managed to survive traversing through so much lava surrounding it, Dimitri never knew. What mattered was that he had to get the other small key to get through the new locked door in the room.

Just then, a chime rang in his pocket. Dimitri got confused for a moment, until he just remembered that he still had something important given to him. One thing that he had been given since his first visit to the Forsaken Fortress. 

“The Pirate’s Charm...” Dimitri uttered. A part of Dimitri’s mind wondered if the pirate crew were aware, if their _captain_ was aware that he survived being disposed at sea. He then held the charm up, the trinket floating in his hand. 

His heart raced for a second. “...Claude?”

Much to his surprise (and disappointment), it was the King of Blue Lions’s voice. _“Dimitri. Did you see those little creatures scampering about?”_

“I did see one little creature going around on this room’s floor,” Dimitri noted, and saw the hole where the rat hid. The blonde scowled.

_“I know they may be annoying runts to deal with, but keep your wits about you! They’re only rats.”_ The boat advised. _“Besides, if you have bait in your person, you can convince them to sell something to you.”_

“They’re vendors, too?” Dimitri asked, disbelieving.

_“Apparently, they’ve become business savvy.”_ The King of Blue Lions deadpanned. 

With that out of the way, Dimitri got the small key (with another Joy Pendant as a bonus), and promptly made his way outside.

At the side of the mountain, there was a staircase, minus some steps. Dimitri alternated between climbing and leaping to get to other side, where lava was spewing off the crack on the mountain wall. It didn’t help that the path had a narrow ledge to it.

“Time to sidle at this one, then.” Dimitri mused. 

Back against the wall, he once again sidled across, pausing when the lava erupted out of the crack. Thankfully, he managed to get across, despite the unbearable heat emanating from his backside, and opened the door to the next area with another bomb flower just growing nearby.

Dimitri proceeded to clear through the next few chambers, trying to avoid getting burned alive in the process. He had a few more encounters with some Bokoblins, particularly in one room where some hid in some jars (to the point where he broke every single one of the pots out of paranoia that he missed one), but he managed to get plenty of Rupees, Joy Pendants and even one Golden Feather for his trouble. 

* * *

Once Dimitri made it outside once more, he proceeded to the staircase on the mountainside, just as the tremors resumed. Looking back, Dimitri saw that the stair steps were collapsing to the space below from the said tremors. His feet moved to run faster, just as the steps were disappearing very fast. One speedy ascend later, Dimitri made it to a wooden gate’s entrance, and he went inside.

To his worry, there were two Green Bokoblins, they guarding a prisoner in a cage. 

“Annette!” Dimitri shouted out upon recognizing the person in distress. He pulled out his lance and shield and assumed a defensive stance.

“Dimitri, be careful!” Annette yelled out from the bars. 

The two Green Bokoblins acted up and swung their machetes at Dimitri, who jumped backwards from the attack. One of the creatures started to build up for another strike, only for Dimitri to stab repeatedly at the Green Bokoblin. Said Bokoblin swung once more once Dimitri was open, but the lancer blocked with his shield, finishing with a jump attack. 

Now to the other Green Bokoblin, Dimitri hit the other with the other end of his lance to stun the creature. His hands then twirled the lance, hitting the Bokoblin with two consecutive strikes. The Bokoblin immediately dies, and Dimitri let out a huff.

“Okay, I hope that’s the end of it...”

It was...until a Kargarok appeared carrying a Moblin, and dropping it in front of the teen. How inconvenient tempting fate was.

“Really?” Dimitri sighed, obviously exasperated.

The Moblin began to bring on its strike with its spear, while Dimitri clashing back with his own. The two spears were on lock, and it remained that way until Dimitri pushed the Moblin back with a shield bash. After that, Dimitri leapt and stomped on the Moblin with his feet. The pig-boar creature attempted to stab back at the lancer, but Dimitri proved to be faster, finishing it off with a huge landing blow with his spear’s tip.

Once the Moblin died, it disintegrated, leaving behind a Skull Necklace and some more random loot, to which Dimitri picked up as spoils for his bag. Near him, the wooden cage opened up, setting Annette free.

“Dimitri, thanks so much for defeating those monsters,” Annette thanked. “They almost scared me off my wits, but I knew you would come.”

The blonde chuckled in modest. “No problem, Annette. With Valoo getting more agitated by the second, I was getting worried over whether I would make it at the summit.”

The Rito girl nodded. “Speaking of Valoo, I managed to communicate with him, and what I got was upsetting.”

“What is it? What’s made Valoo upset?” asked Dimitri, trying to hold his ground when another tremor hit.

“Some foul creature is hurting Valoo by harming his tail! He’s been in such pain since...” Annette replied, feeling sorry for the Sky Spirit. “I wonder if that monster bringing Valoo harm also had something to do with the other creatures infesting Dragon Roost.”

Dimitri narrowed his eyes. “From the looks of things, and what I fought against earlier, it’s most likely the case.”

Annette looked immensely concerned the further the situation unfolded. Another roar from Valoo made her look up and shout her words to the deity. “Don’t worry, great Valoo! We’ll figure this out!” 

She faced Dimitri once more, apologetic in her gestures. “I’ll go tell everyone what’s going on; in the meantime, can you go to the chamber below and defeat the creature? I’ll give you something to assist you for your trek going down.”

“Alright. For the sake of people here.”

“I knew I could count on you!” Annette cheered, pulling out an item that was latched behind her. “Take this. We Rito used this to get around before we evolved to have wings.”

Dimitri took ahold of the new item for his arsenal, the grappling hook. The rope was very sturdy, and the hook in good condition. He then shifted his grip to hold the hook in one hand and the rest of the rope in the other. 

“Go to the ledge over there; you can try out using your new item.” Annette said, and she flew up to a pole sticking out atop the prison cell. “Lasso the hook and let it latch onto this pole here, and then you take a swing to the other side.” 

Dimitri twirled the hook in his hand, and tossed it, letting it grab onto the bar. He swung off the ledge, and onto new ground on the other side. 

“Best of luck, Dimitri!” Annette shouted out, flying down to the rest of the Rito tribe. 

And so Dimitri continued the remaining part of his trek, getting to the remaining chambers that had sweltering heat within. At this point, he felt the sweat beginning to truly form on his skin, and it brought an inconvenience for his comfort. His hand moved to wipe some of it off, even if there was no chance of him cooling down anytime soon.

“Uncle, what kind of fabric did you use for my clothing...?” Dimitri groaned, wiping off the sweat for a little bit more, before proceeding to the remaining areas. 

Along the way, he found a chest that contained a Treasure Chart, and then another Joy Pendant for his spoils bag. Further into the excursion, Dimitri reached a big chamber, at the end was a chest surrounded by flames. A little moldorm crawled into view, attempting to attack the lancer intruding its area, only for Dimitri to strike first, causing the moldorm to curl and harden itself.

Seeing that there was a switch next to the flame circle, Dimitri lifted up the hardened moldorm and placed it down on the switch, making it a weight to push it down. The circle of fire disappeared, and Dimitri approached the ornate chest, opening it to reveal a giant key settled inside.

“This must be the key to where the creature is hiding.” Dimitri noted. “Knowing these monsters, they must have made this to ensure that Valoo doesn’t get the help he needs.”

With the big key in hand, Dimitri rushed back, navigating his way to the area where its corresponding lock is located. In a spacious chamber, up a wide flight of stairs, is a giant door, surrounded by what looked like a giant maw. Unfettered, Dimitri ascended up the steps to the huge door, taking one last look behind him. 

Looks like there’s no chance of turning back.

He unlocked the entrance, and charged his way in.

* * *

The chamber was expansive, as well as tall on the inside. 

There were wooden platforms located against the wall on varying heights, as well as some other cracks that came with age. 

Subsequently, at the center of the room was a large lava pit, taking up almost the entire floor space of the area. 

Dimitri moved closer to the edge of the pit, and jumped back when it suddenly quaked. The lava became brighter and even more unbearably heated, and it all went in full circle when a giant arachnid bursted out of the pit. 

Gohma had made its appearance.

It emitted a shrilling roar, and locking onto the intruder, lunged down to get him.

The teen’s eyes expanded with the incoming danger headed straight for him, and leapt off to the side to escape. However, he still got hit with Gohma’s pincer, and he recoiled from the searing hot pain. Ignoring that mishap, Dimitri rushed around the vicinity, trying to think of a plan of attack. Based from the texture of the creature’s exterior that he felt from getting struck, Dimitri became aware that Gohma had armor that was nigh impossible to break with only his lance. 

As he was surveying the whole room while dodging every single lunge from the arachnid, Dimitri looked up and saw that the ceiling had a giant slab with Valoo’s tail poking out. It also just so happened that it was wriggling in place, about to let loose with any form of pressure put into it. Dimitri looked at Valoo’s tail next, and raised an eyebrow at its shape.

“Now that I look at it, his tail end is shaped like a hook...” Dimitri remarked, only to trail off at the comparison. Then he found it. “Hook...the slab...I got it!”

Pulling out his grappling hook, Dimitri swung the rope and tossed it up to Valoo’s tail end, with the latter feeling a tug from something below. The lancer pulled and with added momentum, swung across the other side of the room, landing on one of the elevated wooden platforms. From the swing, the slab shot downward, hitting Gohma on the head, and Dimitri heard the telltale sign of cracking coming from its armor. Gohma, now infuriated, placed the stone slab back in place and searched for its target.

Now knowing what to do, Dimitri repeated the battle strategy two more times, Gohma being none the wiser. The arachnid’s armor fully broke from the stone’s pressure, and it left Gohma with a body that was almost bright akin to a flame. 

“Now I can hurt you more effectively, you beast!”

It was time for the direct assault; Dimitri lassoed his grappling hook once more, and snagged Gohma by the eye, pulling its head down to his level. He then performed multiple strikes at the eye, and when Gohma escaped, he only repeated the same process. The third time he tried to do the pattern, the wound from earlier stung, causing him to nearly drop his lance and have himself open to the beast. 

“Argh—!” He groaned, hanging on to solid ground. The lancer was determined to finish this fight.

His one hand clutched his wound, and with the other lassoed Gohma’s eye back down one more time for a final beating. With the lance’s final strike, Dimitri had only this to say:

** “Stand down.” **

And with a strong stab, Gohma recoiled and disintegrated, defeated for good. With the lava cooling down, the pit became solid and safe to walk on. Dimitri could only give a breath of relief; he won his first major battle.

Dimitri walked on the pit, the center of it forming a circle of wind trails. Stepping inside the small swirl of gales, he was teleported out of the room and into safety.

* * *

Valoo, perched atop the island’s summit, gave a roar that was different from when he was in pain. He sounded more at ease, the darkened clouds dissipating to reflect that.  As Annette was reporting the whole situation to Rodrigue below, they heard the calming roars of their deity. They gazed overhead, looking on with wonder and overwhelmed with joy that the ordeal was over. 

A little later, Prince Felix walked outside, and seeing the turnaround of events, allowed himself a little smile to appear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well? Did you spot the crit activation line? If you did, congratu-very-lations!
> 
> (Also, Dima’s showing a sign that he misses a certain pirate captain...)
> 
> Anyways, you can always DM me on Twitter if you want general fandom enjoyment: @Corinne_Nohrule


	11. A New Trip South

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fresh from defeating Gohma, Dimitri is informed that his next stop is at an island at the south of the Great Sea, where he must retrieve the next pearl. He and his boat companion take their leave, but not without a surprise coming from the waters.
> 
> One long trip down south later, an almost-sleepy Dimitri reaches their new destination: Forest Haven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 11! Now isn’t this heaven?  
> ....  
> Actually, it’s not, but that doesn’t matter, since Dimitri’s just reached the next part of his journey, a trip to the Forest Haven!  
> A few more chapters (actually around three more chapters), then there will be a special interlude.
> 
> With that said, enjoy reading the new addition!

The winds teleported Dimitri back outside, on the shore of Dragon Roost Island. He touched the side of his abdomen, and was surprised that the wound was gone. Looks like the winds that brought him back were also the healing kind as well. He looked up, and saw that the skies around the summit became clearer. A smiled formed on his lips; he was glad things were restored in Dragon Roost.

“Dimitri!” A voice called out. 

Dimitri turned to see Annette, the source of the call, and to his surprise, Prince Felix, still holding his prized possession of Din’s Pearl. The latter appeared to be timid, a far cry from his abrasiveness when Dimitri first met him.

Annette was smiling, holding Felix by his shoulders as some kind of support. “Well, Felix? Don’t you have something to say to Dimitri?”

Felix grunted from her little prod, but he sucked up a breath and began speaking. “...I heard everything from Annette, with the situation about Valoo and all...and I just want to say...” He stopped, and he was resisting a stutter. The Rito prince seemed to be having a hard time spitting it out.

“You can do it, Felix! Just say it outright, Dimitri will understand.” Annette encouraged.

“Annette!” Felix grumbled, but it didn’t sound malicious. “Anyways...Dimitri, I guess I was wrong about you.” His voice became a bit tense in particular saying Dimitri’s name properly, but at least it wasn’t out of spite. “So, thanks.”

“And?” Annette added.

“And...I’m sorry for mistrusting you.” Felix finished. “You were really trying to help us here, and I should’ve seen that...I do hope I can be a warrior in my own right one day, just like you.”

Annette cheered on. “You will be one, Felix! I just know it! Isn’t that right, Dimitri.”

“Indeed.” Dimitri smiled. “I can’t wait to see you become a warrior.”

Felix clutched his orb close to his chest, giving it one last hug, before handing it over to Dimitri. “So...here. I want you to take this. Giving you the thing I hold most dear will give me the courage I need to grow.” 

His eyes glossed over once more, a wistful smile forming on his lips. “Glenn would’ve wanted me to thrive as the Rito’s prince...and most of all, as my own person.”

Dimitri received Din’s Pearl in his grasp, and gazed at Felix meaningfully. “I’m sure he will be proud.”

Now he had one pearl in his possession, two more to go. Just then, Valoo roared, but it was different from the sound of it. It was as if Valoo was trying to speak to them from his place above.

“W-What is he saying?” asked Dimitri, looking up at the Sky Spirit.

“Use the wind god’s...wind?” Annette replied after Valoo finished speaking his peace. “That’s what he said, but I don’t get it. I wonder what he means by that?”

Her gaze shifted to the tunnel near them, the same one where Dimitri went into as his first stop in Dragon Roost.

“The wind god’s wind...what if he’s referring to the Wind Shrine that’s through this tunnel...”

Dimitri didn’t say it out loud, but he was definitely sure that utilizing Indech’s wind blessing is what Valoo meant by his request. After all, he did manage to meet the deity, with the wind god even expressing his approval of Dimitri being the new Wind Waker.

“Oh! I almost forgot! The great Valoo has also proclaimed you, Dimitri, a true hero.” Annette mentioned, with giddiness in her tone. “I do agree with him, since as far as we’re concerned, Dimitri, you really ARE a hero!”

Dimitri laughed, albeit modestly. “Oh, it’s nothing; I just saw that you and the Rito needed help, so I did what I can.” 

Praise has never been such a huge concern for Dimitri; he always thought that praise or any kind of compliments should just be what helps motivate someone to do better, rather than let it define one. With what he had done for Dragon Roost just earlier, aside from it being for his quest, it was to aid them in their plight, not for credit.

“Well, I’ll be off to go and visit Valoo.” Felix announced. “I’ll come and see you again sometime, Dimitri, with the best pair of wings one can see. Until we meet again!” He immediately raced to have a head start on his pilgrimage to the summit.

“Wait! Prince Felix!” Annette called, beginning to take her leave, but not before leaving Dimitri with thanks. “I thank you once more, Dimitri. See you again someday!” Then she left, going after Prince Felix.

With the first part of his mission accomplished, Dimitri jumped straight into the water to swim up to his boat companion. The King of Blue Lions gazed down at Dimitri to speak.

“It would seem that the Fell King sent those monsters to this place.” 

“I believe that is the case...even the biggest one of the bunch here was likely one of his lackeys.” Dimitri speculated.

“But that would mean...” The boat trailed off, becoming dead silent at the revelation. “There is not a second to lose! We have to depart at once to the place where the next pearl is located! We must go onward, to the South!” 

From that, Dimitri boarded the King of Blue Lions, and observed the wind direction currently blowing by. Remembering Indech’s words and Valoo’s advice, he pulled out the Wind Waker and conducted the notes to the Wind’s Requiem. Pointing the baton to the south after hearing that telltale hum of its notes, the wind responded in kind by going in the direction being pointed.

“All set. Let’s sail!” Dimitri shouted, ready to go.

The sail hoisted, and the King of Blue Lions began to move onward to their next stop. Having just set sail, Dimitri thought that it would just be a straightforward trip, not much incident.

* * *

That is, until something jumped out of the water, just nearby where the King of Blue Lions was streaming. It splashed back into the sea, this time to the other side of the boat’s position.

“Wait, what’s that?” Dimitri packed back the sail, and checked the water near him to see if that mysterious thing would come back. Needless to say, the thing popped up from the water’s surface and went face to face with Dimitri. It was a fish, mostly blue, with fins that almost resembled blocky hands.

“‘Hoy, small fry!” 

...And it talked too. 

But Dimitri wasn’t fazed, at least not as much when he first met the King of Blue Lions.

“I don’t know where you got your hands on that there Sea Chart...” The fish began. “But it looks to me like there’s nothing but seas and lines drawn on it!” 

Sea Chart? Then Dimitri looked into his pockets, and certainly enough, he pulled out a parchment, mostly blank with only a handful of parts filled up. Dimitri tilted his head, confused.

“I don’t remember having a Sea Chart in my pocket.” 

This time, it was the King of Blue Lions who laughed, albeit sheepishly. “Ah, yes, about that...I slipped that Sea Chart into your pocket shortly after I rescued you.”

“And why was that?” Dimitri inquired, drilling his eyes at the boat’s head.

“I simply had the foresight to give you one in case you needed to travel around the sea completely.” The boat explained.

Dimitri tightened his lips. “...Sure, let’s go with that reason.”

“As I was saying!” The fish spoke out loud, butting into the conversation. “That Sea Chart of yours, small fry, in a few words, it’s pathetic! Matter of fact, it’s almost an insult to call that thing a Sea Chart, if you ask me!”

The teen looked taken aback by that. “Hey!”

“What’s the matter, small fry? I’m just trying to tell ya something important here.” The fish informed, his voice even tuning it down. “I’m telling you that you’ve got a problem...and you do.”

Dimitri still wasn’t convinced; his nose even crinkled from his disbelief.

“Don’t give me that stupefied look! It makes you look like you ought to be in diapers!” The fishman laughed, but it didn’t have a mean undertone to it. He was only amused by Dimitri’s reaction to it all. 

“Okay, listen! I’m here to teach you what I know about this island, so open up that Sea Chart of yours! And make it snappy too!” The fishman dived down suddenly, which got Dimitri left puzzled by it, but he still opened the parchment nonetheless. A few seconds later, the fishman popped up back from the water, this time with a brush in its mouth. It then jumped up, its brush aiming for a portion on the Sea Chart. 

With a few strokes, the fishman was done drawing a surprisingly accurate rendition of Dragon Roost Island on one section. Dimitri couldn’t help but be slack jawed; the fishman was definitely talented in the art department.

Leaping back into the water, it faced Dimitri once more. “There’s a cave toward the backside of this here’s Dragon Roost,” the fishman lectured. “Real peculiar. But I doubt you’ll ever get there to see it, small fry—-unless you manage to get wings and fly, that is...’cause you won’t be reaching there anyhow! That’s all I can tell you, small fry!”

Dragon Roost had a secret cave? Sounded like something for Dimitri to go back to one day. Maybe there might have been something, like a treasure, that not even Valoo was aware of that hid in his domain.  
Dimitri expressed his fascination. “That’s intriguing to know.”

“Mhmm! Even if that’s all I can tell you about this island, I still have something to do for you, since I’m feeling so generous.” The fishman expressed. 

“Oh? What would that be?” asked Dimitri.

“I’ll send word to all my brethren living near the isles of the Great Sea, about you and your mostly empty Sea Chart.” answered the fishman. “They’ll know its you if you follow this advice: If you see a fish leaping near an island you haven’t logged down yet, toss some bait on the water’s surface.” 

The creature then smiled. “This allows ya to get a chart of an island, along with some info about it that can help you in the long run. Therefore! I ABSOLUTELY advise that you keep doing this because, small fry, you need a good Sea Chart if you want to traverse these waters without too much trouble!”

Once he was done with his whole tirade about making good, readable Sea Charts, the fishman turned to face the talking boat.

“‘Hoy there! You Kingly Blue Lion guy!” addressed the creature. “That’s it! I’ve repaid my debt! I’m done! Now you take care of the rest!”

Its purpose completed, the fishman went below the water again, presumably to go back at its own business. Dimitri could only stare at the boat vacantly.

“...Did you assist them or something before? With that debt and all?” 

The King of Blue Lions’s response was ribbing. “...Perhaps. My long life as a boat that can speak mankind’s tongue has gotten me places, after all.”

Dimitri sighed. “Alright, we must sail onward. The island doesn’t wait for itself.”

Hoisting the sail up again, the wind, still going southbound, pushes the sail out and the boat forward. 

* * *

From what Dimitri can tell, this destination of theirs is much farther than when he had to travel from Windfall to Dragon Roost. Only constants from his sailing route now were just simply an expanse of sea water, and one or two islands that they passed by. He could remember one isle in particular that continuously spewed lava out of its spout.

Dimitri brought out his sister’s telescope once they passed by another location, this time one that was shaped like a triangle. Gazing into its lens, the view of their next stop wasn’t too clear, with the line of the sea simply blocking it. Looks like he had to keep sailing and be patient for them to reach.

Around this time, the clouds were beginning to cover up the sun. Dimitri got dumbfounded; how long did the first part of his mission actually took? At this time, the way the sky was starting to dim, it appeared that it was reaching the later stages of the late afternoon.

Come to think of it, Dimitri was feeling at ease...there was nothing around that was too dangerous to kill him. No giant bird that kidnaps people anywhere, no flying enemies that drop out of the sky. It was all serene, with only the constant stream of water just ringing in his ears, as soothing as the sound of small wind chimes. 

His eyes drooped...the pacifistic tune of the waves lulled his mind, brought his guard down to something relaxing. Then he sat down, and leaned on one side of the boat.

Dimitri yawned. “It wouldn’t be so hard...to just...sleep...”

Eyes closing, he was ready to enter a world of no disturbance, and no sound that would interrupt him—-

“Dimitri, we’re close to our destination!”

**“Goddess Farore, help me!”** Dimitri yelled out, jumping awake. 

His head shifted from left to right; at his front, there was a definite silhouette of an island resembling a giant tree trunk. The teen stretched his arms to keep himself awake, while the King of Blue Lions looked at the teen at his back, amused.

“We’re you getting sleepy, my boy?” 

Dimitri shifted his eyes. “...No?”

“You sounded like you had a big scare when I called out for you though.” The boat laughed that bombastically. 

“That was just...me watching out for flying enemies.” Dimitri fibbed.

The boat’s head raised an eyebrow. “Watching out for enemies in a clearly empty sky?” 

He laughed again, and then cleared his throat. “That aside, we have arrived at our next stop. Dimitri, welcome to Forest Haven.”

They managed to reach close to the edge of the haven’s ground, and when they were in front of the first step, Dimitri stored the sail to make a complete stop. 

The sun had finally set on the Great Sea’s sky, replacing the bright blue with its dark counterpart. It complimented well on the Forest Haven’s tall shape, giving it a backlight from the moon rising.

Dimitri wasted no time boarding off the boat, but not without some useful intel from his boat companion.

“From afar, it may only seem like a giant tree growing spontaneously up from the water, but in truth, this is sacred ground. Inside is a grotto, where you will find the Earth Spirit and guardian of Farore’s Pearl, the Great Deku Tree. You have to meet with him in order to retrieve the orb.”

The King of Blue Lions’s face turned dim. “I fear that the Fell King’s vile hand may have already reached and corrupted this most sacred of sanctuaries. Go forth and be careful, Dimitri.”

Dimitri gave a resolute nod. “I will do my best.”

Then he made his first step, ready to take on the Forest Haven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ll never stop laughing at Wind Waker’s “You Kingly Red Lion guy” line, which is why I loved it when I typed the AU’s counterpart line to that. XD
> 
> (P.S. Banter between the Hero and his boat is something I definitely needed to write for the sake of comedy. XDc)
> 
> Next chapter comes the Koroks! I hope I do them justice.


	12. The Forest Haven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri, after a brief shopping trip post-landing, ventures inside the Forest Haven, where he meets the Great Deku Tree, the Earth Spirit. He is then introduced to the spirits of the forest, little plant beings called the Koroks.
> 
> They are set to celebrate an annual ceremony, but before they can proceed, a Korok reports that another one of their brethren, named Ashe, has fallen into a foreboding area called the Forbidden Woods. With Ashe’s life at stake, Dimitri takes on his second major task of his adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is Chapter 12! How can I tell?  
> .....  
> Yes, this rhyming thing will be common from here on out. XD  
> So here’s where we meet the adorable Koroks, and I personally like their appearances ever since they first appeared in Wind Waker. They’re just so cute!
> 
> Speaking of: bold and italic combined in a sentence means the character’s speaking in Ancient Hylian.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy the new addition to the story! :D

But first, Dimitri noticed another boat, a bigger one at that, parked on another side of Forest Haven’s edge. It had the portrait of a person on the side, looked like a redhead. Curious to what was inside, Dimitri embarked on that new boat and inside its cabin.

To his surprise, there was a lady sitting at the back of the boat, red hair in a ponytail, and had an all around happy-go-lucky grin.

“Ohhhh! Welcome to my shop ship, young traveler!” The girl greeted. “My name is Anna, and I sell only the best and most convenient items in store, for travelers like you!” She clasped her hands together. “So, what do you need? Check out the display I have here, and take your pick!”

Dimitri walked closer to the display, and saw three items in front of him. One was a bottle of something red inside, another was a bundle of small bead-like food bits, presumably bait, while the last one was a pouch that was peach in color. All three of them looked like they would be important to him, but he had difficulty pinning down on just one choice...

In the end, Dimitri settled for all three on display.

“Excellent choices you got there! A red potion, some all-purpose bait and a bait bag! Business is booming because of your patronage!” Anna thanked, placing her pointer finger on her cheek, cheeky smile present on her features. “Thank you!”

“Thank you too, shopkeep,” Dimitri added once he stored away his purchases. “I’ll be going; I have an important trip to make!”

“Bye!!!” Anna waved. “Be safe, and comeback anytime!”

* * *

Once he was done with his shopping trip, Dimitri proceeded to climb up a ledge of Forest Haven. As the blonde was moving forward on the upper level, he was met with surprise when a seemingly harmless dark blue flower bud revealed a flytrap like beast.

“Gods!” Dimitri leapt back, barely avoiding being chomped.

His hand reached for his lance and lunged at the Boko Baba. The plant monster reached its maw out, attempting to chomp the lancer again. Thankfully, Dimitri ducked underneath the Boko Baba’s head, and stabbed it by the stem, killing it instantly. For his efforts, he got a seed, that being the only thing remaining from the Boko Baba.

“Huh. I don’t know what use this has,” Dimitri picked up the Boko Baba seed. His hands and eyes inspected it. “But it’s colorful to the eye, so I guess I can keep it.”

Dimitri pocketed the item, and couldn’t even get a little pause from battle since another Boko Baba popped out from another bud. The plant monster failed to get him, but its head hit Dimitri hard, causing him to fall back on his behind.

“Ow!” Lance still in hand, Dimitri took a leap and pierced the Boko Baba once its mouth opened, eliminating it quickly. 

“At least be polite about it, you brute.” Dimitri remarked to the now dead plant monster.

He hung onto and climbed up another ledge, and that’s where he noticed a pole sticking out from the side above. Judging from how far the other side was from where he was standing, Dimitri pulled out his grappling hook and swung across the gap, to the land between the twin waterfalls. 

Another enemy popped up as he was scaling the area, this time an Octorok. It leapt out of the water and shot a pelt at Dimitri, who was distracted. Because of that, his head was hit, and he clutched his head, throbbing in pain.

“Hey! Where are you?” Dimitri pulled out his shield, waiting for the Octorok responsible. 

He didn’t need to wait for long, since the same creature returned, and shot another pelt. However, Dimitri pushed his shield forward, deflecting the pelt back to its shooter, and with a shriek, the Octorok died and vanished into a puff of smoke.

Huffing, Dimitri continued leaping across the streams of water, until he entered the opening of the Haven.

* * *

When Dimitri laid his eyes on the grotto for the first time, he was mesmerized.

The place was abundant with flora; plenty of plants with varying shades of viridian were all around, tall and short. It was dim on the inside, no doubt because of the mostly-enclosed space of this grotto, however the plants appeared so well-maintained, Dimitri thought that he saw them shimmering.

Fireflies flew around, flickering in lights of varying color. Dimitri let out a chuckle once some flew about surrounding him. While he was following the fireflies, he noticed that the center of the grotto had a very large tree, broad and tall, in its place. The branches of the tree, he noted, were also very high up, and almost covered the opening above.

“It could be the Great Deku Tree as told by the King of Blue Lions,” Dimitri spoke to himself. “Only one way to find out.”

Dimitri walked briskly, aiming to get to the other end of the grotto to see if his guess was correct. A few moments later, Dimitri reached a wide space, there being water with a big lily pad atop the surface, and in front of the pad, was a face on the trunk of the tree. Dimitri emitted a hum; his hunch was right.

Though there was no time to be correct in guesses, as unwelcome company began to show up on the Great Deku Tree’s face. Blobs of red and green stuck themselves on the wood of the tree, and its face contorted to that of distress. 

Dimitri let out a shocked grunt at the sight. “They’re everywhere...I must do something!”

And indeed he did, rolling up and ramming against the tree trunk, the force of it causing all of the Chu Chu blobs to fall onto the shallow water.

Them the chirps and cries of the Chu-Chus began to get at Dimitri’s ears, the incessant and persistent pitch of them causing him to get annoyed. Not taking anymore of the creatures’ nonsense, he unsheathed his lance and performed a massive spin attack, eliminating most of them.

There was only one left, and it had the audacity to try and get at the lancer. For its stupidity, it paid through its life courtesy of Dimitri’s thrust of his lance. Now that the blob situation was taken care of, Dimitri gathered the new spoils of that battle, some Chu Jelly. Looks like Dimitri had to pay a due visit to Linhardt.

Meantime, he hopped atop the giant lily pad, coming face to face with the Great Deku Tree, who looked at him wistfully.

_**“That garb you wear. Could you be the legendary Hero?"**_ The tree spoke, under a language foreign to Dimitri’s own ears. _**"Has he, at long last, found the Hero Of Time?"**_

Dimitri’s only answer was to look at the Great Deku Tree, dumbfounded, and uttering one thing:

“WHAT.”

The Great Deku Tree only got confused. _**“What is the matter? Do you not understand the ancient Hylian tongue?"**_

“I am hearing you say something, but I can’t comprehend one word.” Dimitri replied, apologetic.

Realizing his mishap, the tree gave a sigh. _**"So...You are not the Hero Of Time."**_

The lilypad from under Dimitri’s feet rose up, and thus Dimitri was on eye level with the Great Deku Tree.

“I apologize. I was in error, since I saw your clothing,” The wise tree began. “And looking at it, I felt a longing for an age past...That longing caused the ancient tongue to pass my lips.”

“My clothes reminded you of something, from the past...” Dimitri echoed.

“Indeed. I am a remnant of that past, living in the present as the Guardian Spirit of this Forest Haven—-the Great Deku Tree.” He finished, formally introducing himself. “I owe you my thanks for your aid in ridding me of those foul creatures.”

Dimitri gave a humble nod. “It was no problem; to be fair, they were irritating to my ears.”

The tree emitted a deep chuckle. “They were. Now tell me...Was it not the King of Blue Lions—the boat who speaks—who led you to this place?”

The blonde raised his eyebrows at this question. Dimitri was getting curious from the connections that his boat companion had, which were pretty enigmatic based on how familiar the boat was with them. Though he was made aware of his strangeness from the start, with Dimitri being startled by the boat being able to speak and all.  
First the fishman who drew charts, now the Deku Tree...there was something about the King of Blue Lions he had yet to fully know of.

“He did.” Dimitri replied.

“So it is true...” the Tree muttered. “Then you have come here for you have the need of the pearl of the goddess?”

“Yes...that of Farore, Great Deku Tree.” 

The ancient wood gave a nod to this testament. “I see...I knew there was a reason the monsters began to congregate in my sanctuary. Now I understand it.” The voice of the tree was shaken. “He has returned...the Fell King has returned.”

From the sound of it, the influence of the Fell King has begun to get stronger, even from the farthest of areas. Dimitri was becoming alarmed by the growing disturbance of the islands; first at Dragon Roost, now here. At this point, he couldn’t be certain that his home would be safe any longer.

“In that case, we must make haste,” said the Deku Tree, and then his eyes directed upwards. “Koroks! Little children of the woods! This traveler isn’t your enemy. Be at ease, and show yourselves to him!”

Just as he said those words, little plant-like being emerged from their hiding spots over his head and branches. They all had leaves for faces, all in different shades of green or red. Tilting their heads at Dimitri, once they understood that it was safe, they all shot up to the air, descending with little propeller leaves to the lily pad, forming a circle.

“What do you call yourself, traveler?” asked the giant arbor.

“I am—“ the lancer tried to get a good view of the tree’s face, with some of the Koroks unintentionally blocking his look. “—Dimitri, Great Tree.”

“Dimitri?” The giant arbor repeated. “Well then, Dimitri...These are the Koroks—the spirits of the forest.” He gazed at every single one of them fluttering in the air. “Once upon a time, a long time ago, they took on human forms, but when they came to live on the sea, they changed to these shapes.”

The Koroks landed at the lilypad, all surrounding Dimitri in fascination of him. 

“Now they fear people...but to me, they will always be my children.”

Dimitri can only look in awe at how adorable the Koroks truly are. He let a tiny giggle slip from his lips, still in wonder about these little delights.

“As it happens, you have come just in time for a ceremony that the Koroks hold once a year. It is about to begin.” The Great Deku Tree explained. “Once the ceremony is complete, I shall give you the pearl as you requested. I apologize for the delay, but if this ceremony doesn’t push through, an ill fate could befall us.”

The lancer let out a hum of understanding. “I see, and I could wait, don’t worry about it. I am curious and excited for this ceremony you have.”

The old arbor’s voice turned jubilant. “So, let it begin! Are you ready, my children?”

A high pitched voice interrupted the event. It sounded panicked.

“W-We are not, O Great Deku Tree! A horrible thing has happened! It’s Ashe! Ashe!”

Another Korok descended down from the open space, facing the giant tree directly. The Great Deku Tree gave a worn out sigh. “What is the matter, Cyril? You and Ashe are always late...”

“N-No! It’s not that we’re late, O Great Deku Tree! It’s Ashe...” Cyril’s voice shook, trying to keep calm. “Ashe...fell into the Forbidden Woods!”

“WHAT?! The Forbidden Woods?” Now the Great Deku Tree sounded troubled, even as his voice boomed.

“I told him to be careful! But still Ashe flew above the Forbidden Woods, and as he drew close to it...” Cyril trailed off, not wanting to think of the worst.

The Great Deku Tree let out a bated breath. “Foolish little Ashe...” It was then that the arbor remembered Dimitri’s presence. “Dimitri, you have heard all of this?”

The teen’s tone was somber. “Sadly, I did. I have only heard of him, but Ashe needs help!”

“Truly, he needs to be saved.” agreed the giant tree. “But listen: The Forbidden Woods are right beside the hallowed island of our Forest Haven. Those woods...the whole region is now home to vile beasts, and now Ashe has been taken by that horrid place.”

His face was full of thought. “...Your presence is no mere coincidence, I deem, as the King of Blue Lions likely expects great deeds of you—-it is why he brought you here. I am so sorry to ask this from you, but can you go and rescue Ashe for me?”

At this time, the night sky was fully up and out, and the atmosphere of it just made a part of Dimitri desire a time to sleep. Although, his heart couldn’t find it to be selfish while the rest are anxious for the safety of one who has gotten into trouble.

So, the right thing it was, then. “...I’ll do it.” Dimitri was about to hop off the lily pad, but—

“But, Great Deku Tree!” Cyril spoke up. “...People can’t fly through the air.”

The tree’s eyes widened from the reminder. “Ah, you are right. It is not possible to enter those woods from the sea...”

“So what do we do now? How will I enter the Forbidden Woods?”

The tree thought for a moment, and in his thinking, made a hum of insight. “I have it! Dimitri, I shall bestow upon you a gift that will help you glide through the sky!” He closed his eyes, and concentrated on using his magic to create the item. From the upper branches of his body, a broad leaf emerged from them, it snapping off to flutter down conveniently to where Dimitri was standing. 

Dimitri’s hands reached and grabbed the leaf successfully.

“Here you go, young one. A gift from my own magic—-the Deku Leaf.”

Dimitri held the leaf in his hands; he felt something powerful surge up in his veins. It was almost as if...the leaf granted him magic power. He felt soothed by the feeling.

“Lancer! Over here!” One of the Koroks called from below, standing next to a dark violet flower pod. “You must go inside this! It will give you the boosting you will be needing!”

The teen went off the lilypad, giving his thanks to the giant tree, then walked to where the Korok was. 

“You must enter this pod, then you have to enter the pod that is higher than this.” The Korok, who had a maroon leaf for its face, lectured. “After, you have to leap out of the pod that is at the nearest to the ledge over there, and then you fly!” She pointed to the upper ledge in question, one that had an exit point.

“I see it.” Dimitri acknowledged. “Thank you, little Korok.”

“No, I give thanks for you helping us, and the Great Deku Tree.” The Korok rebutted lightheartedly.

The lancer hopped into the pod, and said pod charged up very quickly. Then the pod spewed Dimitri upward, and the latter landed in the next pod, and so the process repeated until he reached the pod nearest to the ledge. That high up pod spit out Dimitri once more, and this time he unfurled the Deku Leaf and held on to its edges midair.

In an instant, he glided down smoothly, landing on the upper ground, towards the exit of Forest Haven. The Korok near the exit cheered for Dimitri’s successful first use of the Deku Leaf.

“Greetings, Lancer! You made it!” This Korok, one with a silvery-brown leaf this time, exclaimed ecstatically. “Just go out this way, and there will be a huge space of sea between Forest Haven and the Forbidden Woods. All you need to do is trust that the wind will lead you in the right way when you glide!”

Dimitri pat the Korok on the head, grateful. “Thank you for the information.”

The Korok laughed giddily, and Dimitri left him to his own devices as he went on his way outside. 

To the Forbidden Woods, there he goes!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why do I write like I’m running out of time?...I honestly don’t know.
> 
> But anyways, I diverged a part of this chapter from what happens in the original (namely the way Dimitri first receives the Deku Leaf) because I wanted to proceed to the next part of the story and I was getting worn out from writing this one chapter.
> 
> That doesn’t mean I will stop writing this story; I’m gonna keep going.
> 
> (P.S. Yes, the Korok with the maroon leaf is Petra, so I’m sorry in advance if I didn’t get her speech pattern right. And the other Korok is the Gatekeeper XD)
> 
> Also, how was the story so far? Feel free to give feedback! :D


	13. A Dark Wood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tasked with the mission to rescue a Korok named Ashe, Dimitri doesn’t hesitate to take it on and heads to the Forbidden Woods to do so. While the unsavory stench and overall dreary appearance of the dungeon isn’t something to enjoy, Dimitri is determined to keep going, and eventually manages to find Ashe...
> 
> ...who gets quickly swallowed alive by the Boko Baba King, Kalle Demos. To which Dimitri responds accordingly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 13! Few and far between.
> 
> So here’s the dungeon crawling chapter for the Forbidden Woods, and as with any dungeon chapter in this story, I struggle since so many things are done in this place like in the original Wind Waker. But I condensed it enough for the sake of convenience.
> 
> Also: Did you know that Skull Kid (from Majora’s Mask) and Toon Link share the same voice actor? If you listen to their voice clips from Hyrule Warriors, you’ll hear the similarity, especially in their laughs. :)
> 
> Random fact done, now enjoy reading! :D

The first thing that Dimitri saw when he got out was that the gap between Forest Haven and the Forbidden Woods was much, much larger than he initially grasped. It was like an entire lake separating these two islands. 

In between them was, as luck would have it, a lone stump of ground that was elevated high enough to be the same level as Forest Haven’s exit ledge. There was also an updraft occasionally roaming near said ground stump.

“Oh, hey there Lancer Man.” another Korok speaks up, one with a scarlet red leaf for its face. “So you just took a look at this and realized that the space between these two places is much bigger than you thought, right?”

Dimitri let loose a displeased murmur. “...Yes.”

“Well, the only thing that can save you at this point is the right wind direction...around northwest would do the trick.” the scarlet-leaf Korok informed, tone flat for someone giving helpful advice.

The words made Dimitri reflect on his options, and he immediately recalled that he had a magical baton that would allow him to glide northwest. His hand pulled out the Wind Waker, its tip leaving that tell-tale shimmer. 

Dimitri’s body swayed as he conducted the Wind’s Requiem, and afterwards, pointed to the northwest, near the stump. The winds, originally blowing west, now redirected to Dimitri’s desired direction. 

“That should do it.”

He was in the process of taking a leap, but the scarlet-leaf Korok’s voice behind him interrupted.

“Oh, and another helpful tip; to really be able to enter the Forbidden Woods, once you’re at the stump there, wait for the wind to blow northeast.” she said. “Then when the wind is right, take a leap when that updraft over there is near you. It will give you the boost you need to make it.”

Dimitri took this information to heart. “Thanks again!”

“Yeah, no problem.” the Korok bluntly added.

The teen leaped outward to the gap, and quickly pulled out the Deku Leaf, where he slowly drifted towards the stump of land at the center. The toes of his feet touch the ground, landing with grace and without much issue. 

Now, to the actual entrance of the Forbidden Woods; Dimitri pulled out his Wind Waker again, conducted the Wind’s Requiem with the needed grace, and this time pointed northeast. The gales complied with the magical order, blowing to the needed northeastern direction.

Dimitri looked around himself, eyeing the updraft swirling around the stand. When it reached close to his front, Dimitri sprinted and jumped, unfurling his Deku Leaf again to gain that instant lift upward. The updraft increased his altitude upwards, making him on level with the Forbidden Woods’ entry platform. He thought it would be just as smooth when he did it from Forest Haven to the middle...until he saw the peahats propelling nearby.

And they didn’t look friendly.

“What...they might get at me.” Dimitri brooded. “I could only hope that the winds will carry me safely...”

He didn’t know who answered his hopes (probably the God of Winds or his superior) but Dimitri managed to make a touchdown at the ledge that led to the foreboding location.

Dimitri breathed a gasp of relief. “I’m here now. Time to make my way in and save Ashe.”

He wasted no time to enter the tangled forest that was the Forbidden Woods.

* * *

When Dimitri entered the place, he was greeted with the sight of sickly greens. 

As much as the area was still a forest, this was the kind that had mostly shriveled flora. The wood of the trees and vines were a crinkled brown, their bark simply too crusted to sustain itself. Even the scent of it had him nearly resist the urge to gag; there were some flowers that smelled nice, but it was overshadowed by the putrid plants emitting their own scent.

A few minutes into his entry, Dimitri quickly found the map to the location, which was thankfully still eligible to comprehend. He figured out that the door to the next location should be nearby, and it was. Looking at the lock, Dimitri pulled out his lance and lunged to poke at the plant’s ‘eye’, but it shut before he could hit it.

Startled by that surprise move, Dimitri tried again, only to be met with the same result. Undeterred, he tried again, and another time until he realized what he was doing wrong.

“What is this—-Oh, don’t tell me...” The teen let out an annoyed grunt. Looks like he had to find another method.

And that other method came through in the form of a giant nut growing close by. Dimitri picked up the nut, and promptly tossed it to the plant’s ‘eye’ from a distance. Now that unlocked the door to the next chamber.

“About time.” 

He ventured through the next part, which had a hallway. Thinking nothing would attack him, Dimitri ventured further, but somewhere in the middle, Chu-Chus popped up from the ground and proceeded to harass the lancer. Dimitri pulled out his grappling hook to stun the two creatures, and went in-between them to stab one with the lance’s front, and the other with its back. His spoils rewards were some more red and green Chu Jelly.

Next, Dimitri went into a bigger chamber, one with the same jump pods from Forest Haven, as well as some pinwheels and a wooden trolley on a zipline vine. With the help of the pods, he reached an upper portion of the room. With the help of his Deku Leaf, he rode the trolley across to the nut that would help destroy the plant lock of the next door.

From there, it was mostly a smooth trip across the subsequent chambers, with some more of the Boko Babas and Chu Chus attempting to impede his progress. There were more wooden trolleys operable through wind, which aided Dimitri in scaling some areas of the dungeon. He got a few spoils during that period, namely some more Joy Pendants, Chu Jelly and Boko Baba seeds. 

It was when he entered a crossroads chamber within the Forbidden Woods where he got disrupted for a bit. Dimitri went towards the center of the area, and on a murky enclosure of swamp water, there stood creatures with little eyes that had spikes surrounding them. They settled on the little plots of land above the swamp water, and when Dimitri jumped on one, the little Morths proceeded to clump and clutch onto Dimitri’s body. The little creatures didn’t hurt him, but they did bother him by slowing down his moving speed. 

Straightaway, Dimitri got irritated by the many Morths already infesting the outside of his body. He tried shaking them off, but the little insect babies were persistent.

“Get off of me!” He yelled, only managing to shake off a few from his hand. 

His feet, impeded by the Morths gathering there, made a last ditch effort to move to the other flat surface nearest to safer ground. Dimitri barely made it, but bad news was that the Morths kept gathering at his body.

A chime from his pocket was his saving grace, and with some struggle, Dimitri was able to pull it out to respond to who was calling him. Part of Dimitri hoped it was who he thought was reaching him this time, so he made no hesitation to address the person with a frantic yell.

“Claude! Oh, you have to help me; there are these...things that are pestering—-!”

_ “Dimitri, it’s me.”  _ The voice of the King of Blue Lions rung from the charm. 

The lancer turned red upon being aware of whom he was actually talking to. Even if help was a much needed thing for him in the moment, Dimitri wandered if he will ever actually hear the helpful advice from the pirate captain’s voice anytime soon. Guess he’ll have to wait.

“O-Oh, sorry...a slip of the tongue, but still! There are these creatures slowing me down.” Dimitri explained, his eyes frantically catching sight of every single Morth crawling up his figure.

The King of Blue Lions hummed in thought, then gave an ‘ah’ from finding the solution.  _ “Why don’t you try using your lance and spin yourself around to hit those Morths?” _

Dimitri’s face lit up. “A spin attack...that’s it! Thanks again, King.” He let out a laugh of relief.

_ “It is no problem, my boy.” _ The King of Blue Lions responded. 

The charm seemed to dim once more, which prompted Dimitri to put it back with his limited movement, only for it to go bright again with the boat’s voice coming back.  _ “Also, please wait for the other’s voice before you speak so you won’t be mistaken.” _

The Pirate’s Charm finally dimmed, to which Dimitri put that back, then unsheathed his lance to perform a spin attack. The move worked, which instantly got rid of the Morths and killed them. Relieved that his body was no longer hindered, Dimitri proceeded to get through the remaining chambers.

After a bit more of scaling and room conquering, Dimitri reached a room that blocked his only exit with sentient vines. There were specks of something green that were falling in front of him, and looking up, Dimitri saw the source...

...a Mothula.

Which proceeded to fly across the room and pivoted in its flight to dive towards Dimitri. He flung out his shield and blocked that ramming attack, causing the Mothula to dive back. The giant insect tried again, yet Dimitri reacted faster, blocking its assault. Agitated, the Mothula let out a shriek, and in a few moments, spewed out its offspring.

“So that’s the mother of the Morths from earlier...” Dimitri realized, and just by looking at the congregating Morths made him irate and even more motivated.

He proceeded to rush to the Mothula, then took a big leap, holding out his spear. With his feet, he stomped down on the creature, and held up his spear only to plunge it down at its chest. When he saw that the monster insect was still moving, he raised his lance again to stab it a few more times, and only stopped when it vanished into dust.

“Your babies were a pain to deal with.” Dimitri huffed.

Nearby where he was standing, a row of bars lifted up, unveiling a chest. Interested, Dimitri approached the treasure chest, and opened it up to reveal a new item. It was yellow, v-shaped, and had some metal guards on both ends; there was a gem inserted at the center of its v-shape, colored red.

“A boomerang...” Dimitri uttered in awe, and he turned his back to see two diamond-shaped switches he didn’t spot before. 

On a hunch, he aimed the boomerang at the switches, and threw it. The item hit both of them simultaneously, unlocking a new door to the next chamber. The teen, ecstatic, made his pursuit in conquering the rest of the Forbidden Woods’ areas. 

From then on, while he was venturing deep into the sickly green hues of the woods, he made it at least necessary to try out his new battle toy. Chu Chus and Boko Babas still appeared, but at least it was quicker for Dimitri to stun them before landing the kill. 

Towards the edge of the Forbidden Woods, Dimitri entered a giant room, in which its centerpiece was a grass dome, surrounded by a spiral ramp that ascended to its round top. Accompanying the spiral ramp was were five switches, and at this point Dimitri recognized the routine for diamond-shaped switches. 

Taking ahold of his boomerang, his eyes made a precise aim for all five, then his hand flicked the battle toy, hitting all of the switches at once. The dome’s cage unlocked, and there was another ornate chest. 

Dimitri opened and reached inside the treasure chest, and there he found an ornate key. 

“Must be to keep others from ever dispelling the monsters, or its leader here, completely.” Dimitri noted, keeping the key for later use.

Just when Dimitri thought he could go on, out of the blue, a Kargarok flew above Dimitri, carrying and dropping a familiar mook to his position. 

“You...” The lancer snarled. “Will this be a common occurrence with creatures like you?”

And of course, he didn’t give the Moblin ample time to respond as he went straight for the Moblin’s face with a blunt strike. After that hit, the Moblin put its guard up and blocked two more simultaneous blows from Dimitri’s spear with its own. The lancer then pulled out the boomerang once again, this time stunning it victoriously. He proceeded to make quick strikes at the creature, the latter finished off instantly.

For his encounter with the mook, Dimitri earned another Skull Necklace and some Rupees that the Moblin apparently stole. 

With some time left in his hands, Dimitri went onward, conquering the last few hallways, before finally reaching the big door, which he hoped had Ashe inside.

His lungs took a deep, concentrated breath, and he let it out as he unlocked the giant door, never looking back.

* * *

The chamber was luminescent, an open flower growing at its center. Dimitri made the initiative to get closer, and saw a little Korok at the flower’s middle. It had a silvery-green leaf for its face, its size at least small enough for Dimitri to hold with an embracing hold. 

There was no doubt; Dimitri had found Ashe.

“...Oh!” Greeted the Korok. “You came to get me?”

Dimitri couldn’t help but smile in ease; Ashe was still alright and in one piece. “Yes, the Great Deku Tree asked me to come and get you from here.”

“I see!” Ashe cheered. “I guess I better get going with you—-“

But it seemed like fate decided to play a gamble, as a sneaky maw crept from behind Ashe, and without warning, swallowed him alive. The unexpectedness of the attack left Dimitri off-guard and infuriated at the creature responsible, which happened to be the giant flower. 

Dimitri could hear Ashe’s cries for help as the giant flower morphed into its budding shape, its vines elongating and rooting themselves around the chamber’s ground. Now the battle truly began.

For Dimitri and Kalle Demos.

His feet made nimble work dodging the invasive organic tendrils trying to grab him. Dimitri’s eyes scanned anywhere and everywhere within the chamber, hoping to find a way to at least weaken the giant, neon flytrap. 

While he was still thinking of his battle plan, one of the vines made it to his foot, and feeling it wrapped around his ankle, Dimitri got alarmed and used his boomerang out of quick instinct. The boomerang not only cut up that giant vine, but it also flew to the upper tendrils that were holding up the bud, cutting two off.

As he witnessed this, Dimitri got hit with the best battle plan. “I’ve got it!”

Grabbing the returning boomerang, Dimitri then aimed it that the next five upper blue tendrils, to which he threw his battle toy that proceeded to cut all five in quick succession. With three more tendrils cut, the bud unfolded, and Dimitri dashed to the giant flower’s center, performing strike after strike until he felt the petals begin to close. His body only managed to barely escape as the bud fully closed, its blue tendrils reattaching themselves to the ceiling. 

Dimitri could only retaliate with the boomerang offensive, successfully unfurling Kalle Demos a second time and hitting it with a few more strikes from his lance before the creature went on the defensive again.

“One more.” Dimitri grunted. “One more will finish him.”

And Dimitri was right, but not without a near-serious hit from a bottom vine that nearly hit him. He was intent on dodging those pesky bottom tendrils as much as possible, so he sped up, running around the room as he threw his boomerang at the upper vines twice. 

Kalle Demos once again unfurled, and with the heel of his foot, Dimitri pinned down the creature’s maw with only this to say:

** “This battle is over.” **

And with that, Dimitri plunged a powerful blow on the Boko Baba King, the carnivorous plant screeching in agony as it finally died from the hit. The flower wilted, and as Kalle Demos’s true body vanished into smoke, Ashe popped out of where it once stood, and into Dimitri’s arms.

“Th-Thank you, Mister Lancer, for saving me!” Ashe cried out in joy, happy to be alive. “May I know your name?”

“Ah, it’s Dimitri.” The teen pat the Korok on his head, making him giggle.

“Dimitri...sounds heroic for someone like you!” Ashe complimented. Then his voice turned panicky. “Oh, I forgot! There’s a ceremony that I have to be at! You see, Dimitri, I’m the one who handles the music for the event every year.”

Dimitri caught sight of a swirling wind vortex forming next to him, and looked to Ashe. “Looks like we have to hurry then! The Great Deku Tree is definitely worried sick about where you are.” 

He shifted his position so that he and Ashe were within the vortex, and by the magic of the swirling gales, they were transported to safety.

Back to the Forest Haven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ashe as a Korok would be something extremely cute to look at. 
> 
> Anyways, the next chapter’s gonna come in pretty soon, and the only thing you can expect from it is that Dimitri’s gonna take a long, long nap.
> 
> (P.S. The Korok who helped Dimitri at the beginning of the chapter was none other than Hapi. :D)
> 
> Feel free to give feedback! :)


	14. The Ceremony and the Nap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri, after rescuing Ashe, is rewarded with Farore’s Pearl for his efforts. Though he stays for a bit longer in favor of partaking in the Korok’s annual ceremony, which concludes in the forest spirits taking their leave to plant new life around the Great Sea.
> 
> Soon afterwards, he falls into a deep sleep, which results in him confronting a nightmare, both in his mind and as he wakes up, in real life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 14! Isn’t it sweet?
> 
> So here is the new addition to the story, not much to say, except that Dimitri’s taking his time to celebrate an event in Forest Haven before continuing his mission. Said mission will take a not-so good turn.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy reading this new addition! :)

The teleporting winds brought Dimitri and Ashe back to the Forest Haven, right atop the lilypad the former first stood on. Dimitri held up the little Korok in his hands, showing the Great Deku Tree that he was successful in his rescue.

“Here he is, Great Tree.” Dimitri proclaimed, Ashe secure in his hold. “Ashe is safe.”

The aforementioned Korok leapt off of Dimitri’s hold to his feet, and his little body shook as he began to sob. “I-I’m so sorry, Great Deku Tree...” His leaf face was full of tears that trickled down his wooden cheeks. “Y-You told us not to go inside the Forbidden Woods, and yet...I-I went there anyway and I got in trouble!”

Ashe only kept crying out of remorse, with the giant tree looking on at the Korok with tender eyes. “It is alright, Ashe. Dry your tears, little one. I’m only happy that you are safe now, my child.”

The little silvergreen-leaf Korok’s cries then were reduced to sniffles, his stubby arms wiping his tears away. In the meantime, the giant arbor turned his attention to the blonde, a grateful grin present in his features. “I couldn’t thank you enough for saving one of my children, Dimitri, so as promised, I will give you what you requested.”

The Great Deku Tree swayed his whole form, with the upper part of his stem and branches shaking. Then, a green orb flew down from the tree’s crown of branches, making its way into Dimitri’s open hands. He held the smooth orb in his grasp, his eyes and mouth wide in awe.

“Farore’s Pearl...” His voice muttered, to which Dimitri proceeded to keep the pearl safely within his person.

“Now, Ashe, the ceremony is about to begin.” The giant arbor encouraged. “Do grace us with your music, would you?”

The-once somber Korok now beamed in enthusiasm. “Oh, of course, Great Deku Tree! I’ll perform the ceremonial song, which I’m sure everyone will enjoy!”

He pulled out a blue cello made out of wood, and a bow made from a stick. Ashe played a note, then that one note became a whole melody of jubilant tunes. The tempo of the music had Dimitri immersed, with him bopping his head along with the notes. His ears then caught the sound of wood shaking, as if they were maracas chiming along to the beat. 

Dimitri looked behind him to witness the other Koroks dancing and bopping along to Ashe’s cello, and even began to harmonize with their squeaky vocals. It brought wonder and shine to Dimitri’s blue eyes; hearing the forest spirits sing had a magical touch to it.

Afterwards, Dimitri was met with further surprise when fresh, budding seeds emerged from the Great Deku Tree’s branches, and began to float downward to where he and the Koroks were standing. The budding seeds floated in a circle, and the Koroks, still singing to their merry tune, flew up with their clover propellers to clutch a seed each.

With the part complete, the melody ended, all of the forest spirits sans Ashe and the silvery-brown leaf Korok levitating in the air with the Deku Tree’s fruits of his magic. 

“The ceremony is now complete!” Petra, the maroon-leaf Korok, hurrahed.

“We will now scatter all across the Great Sea, to plant more trees around its islands and make them more beautiful and full of life!” Cyril rejoiced. 

“Anything to make the Great Sea a better place to live in.” Hapi declared, her flat tone for once a bit jubilant. 

Ashe waved to all of his brethren. “See you all on the next ceremony! Stay safe!”

The Koroks, not breaking formation, all flew up to the grotto’s opening to embark in their task. Dimitri waved goodbye to all of them, a tender smile radiating from his face.

“Farewell, little Koroks! It was nice meeting you!”

“Goodbye, Mister Hero!” All of the flying forest children echoed in return. Dimitri placed his hand on his chest; the farewell sounded so sweet to his ears. 

Now that most of the Koroks completely vacated the area for their plantation project, Dimitri went for leaving the Forest Haven, but not before waving another goodbye to Ashe and to the Great Deku Tree.

“It was nice receiving your help, O Great Tree. So long for now.” Dimitri hopped off of the lilypad and into the grotto’s stream. He heard the Deku Tree and Ashe address him as he went to get out of the Forest Haven.

“May the winds of courage guide you, young Dimitri!”

“Until we meet again, Dimitri!”

* * *

Dimitri exited the Forest Haven, and rode down the water’s stream to get down to the King of Blue Lions quickly. The boat, who was still in the same spot as he left him, noticed Dimitri approach him and promptly spoke up.

“So this place, too, has been attacked by the Fell King.” His voice was bleak from the news. “Could he already be regaining his power?”

“I hope not...” Dimitri lamented. “If he is, the Fell King will be harder to beat.” 

“If that is the case...then, Dimitri! You have to get the remaining pearl!” The King of Blue Lions alerted. His head inclined, gazing at a specific direction. “It lies in an island located northwest from here.”

Dimitri swiftly boarded the King of Blue Lions, with the latter being more urgent with every second passing in their mission. “We must set sail immediately!”

The teen nodded. “Aye.” He brought out the Wind Waker baton, and quickly conducted the Wind’s Requiem. Then, with his concentration, directed the gales to blow northwest. Not a time to spare, Dimitri and the King of Blue Lions quickly left Forest Haven to sail onward to their new destination. 

Despite the time being supposedly early morning, Dimitri noticed that the sky has not brightened up once or even shown the sun. In fact, he witnessed more clouds congregating and covering more of what remained of the light in the sky.

“Everything’s still dark out here...” Dimitri commented. “King, will there be a storm coming?”

The King of Blue Lions looked up at the sky as well, inspecting the many dark clouds gathering above. “It seems to be the case.” The boat’s head turned back to look at the teen. “We must stay in high alert in case of a terrible squall.”

“Okay...” Dimitri replied, trailing off from the toll of the number of tasks he had to partake so far. He was glad that helped a lot of people in the islands he visited, and as tiring the amount of time to complete them was, the smiles from both the Rito and the Koroks were worth it. As a plus, Dimitri got steps closer to what his original goal was. The reason why he was willing to make this long journey to begin with.

It was all for his dear sister, Edelgard.

Now, his eyes stared vacantly at the water’s current trailing behind them. In spite of the foreboding weather forming over their heads, Dimitri still managed to find the serenity from the pacifistic waters. 

His vision began to droop and blur...the whole of his body starting to feel the full drowsiness of it all. The thundering calm of the night’s dark even further pushing his instinct to rest.

Sitting down, and leaning his back towards the boat’s end, Dimitri’s eyes saw black, falling asleep.

* * *

Dimitri looked around; he was back within the empty, dark void of his subconscious. He wondered if nothing would happen in this mental realm this time...

He thought wrong.

A single drop of water dripped in front of Dimitri’s feet, its sound reverberated in the vacant space. His eyes directed up; two more drops of water shooting straight down to the void’s flat ground, those echoing as well.

“What...”

Next thing he knew, more and more orbs and droplets of water descended to the ground surrounding him. Dimitri gazed up above to find its origin, but to his dismay, there was no visible source for this makeshift rain. 

Soon, the droplets became more plentiful and frequent, reminiscent of a storm’s rainfall. Dimitri could only watch as the torrent of rain continued to shoot down, with his body starting to get drenched.

“Why is it raining here? What does this mean?” He pleaded for an answer.

Alas, no response was given, with the rain becoming stronger and stronger in the confines of the void. The water from the rain filled up to the point where it flooded up to his waist. 

Now, Dimitri got alarmed, so he attempted to wade across the water, trying to find an exit. His arms paddled some of the liquid out of the way, but the rain kept falling, and the water level escalating. The more he tried to find an exit out of the void, the more persistent the rising waters became.

“What is this supposed to mean?!” Dimitri panicked. “Why can’t I escape?!”

Now the water’s surface reached up to his neck. Any more of it and he will drown in this makeshift ocean in the void. Dimitri’s arms and legs continued to move frantically in an effort to keep himself afloat. However, it became futile, and just as he resigned himself to his fate...

_ “Dimitri......Dimitri......!” _

That familiar voice. 

_ “Open......ur....eyes...Dimitri!” _

“How can I?!” Dimitri gasped out, struggling to keep his head out of the liquid surface, only to sink, the makeshift pit of water suffocating his only source of survival.

_ “Wake up! Open your eyes!” _

The voice boomed in spite of the water slurring Dimitri’s hearing. Following its instructions, and with no hope left to lose, Dimitri squeezed his eyes and mouth shut——-

* * *

Then his eyes opened and he recoiled up into a seating position, exhaling a big gulp of breath he didn’t even know he was holding in. He had a few moments to himself to steady his breathing. Once he was calm enough, the first thing he noticed was that the whole sky was raining down torrential buckets of water. Second thing he noted was that the King of Blue Lions was gazing at him worriedly. 

Dimitri never seen the boat look that alarmed, even with the threat of the Fell King being spoken of. Was his nightmare so obvious that even the boat felt the teen’s dread?

“Dimitri! Thank the heavens!” The King of Blue Lions exhaled, at ease. “I was beginning to worry about you when you didn’t respond to my call.”

Dimitri clutched at his head. “I’m alright, King; I’m awake now.” His head looked around. “What’s going on?”

“I was going to tell you that we arrived at our destination, however...” The King of Blue Lions turned his head forward, eerily silent. 

Dimitri moved to look close at his front. “What do you mean by...” He got his answer as soon as he saw the sight in front of him.

The island before them was in disarray; boards of wood were scattered about the sandy shores, frames of what looked like houses were dilapidated and demolished. The flora of the island were marred by something, almost like a mark from a lightning strike. Whoever was responsible for this destruction, they ensured that all parts of the island weren’t spared from it.

Though perhaps what was the most unsettling thing about the entire scene, was that there were no signs of life left on the isle.

“Oh no...are we too late?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger for the win.
> 
> We’ll answer Dimitri’s question in the next chapter, and don’t worry, Dimitri, it’ll get better (kinda). Plus, you’ll be able to reunite with somebody soon.
> 
> Feel free to give feedback. :D


	15. An Unprecedented Turn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri is confronted with the reality that Greatfish Isle has been horribly destroyed by none other than the Fell King himself. As he tries to assess his options, a saving grace comes in the form of Seteth, who informs Dimitri that the Water Spirit, Jabun, escaped to none other than Dimitri’s home of Outset Island.
> 
> With this in mind, Seteth goes on to tell that Claude and his Band of Pirates have also become involved with the search for Nayru’s Pearl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 15! Now let it be seen!
> 
> Anyways, so here’s the part where the pirates come back! Yay! And this time, they get to have some adaptational expansion through some additional scenes featuring them that the Wind Waker didn’t originally do. 
> 
> (There’s a reason Claude remains a major character for this story, and it’s because of additional scenes that put him into focus...among other reasons. XD)
> 
> By any case, enjoy this quick new addition!

Dimitri could only get off the boat, vacantly staring at what remained of the island. At this moment, he felt nothing but failure, for it seemed like with the destruction that occurred in the place, the remaining pearl and its guardian spirit must have perished in the assault. His heart had never sensed so much helplessness since the moment Edelgard was out of his reach.

As he only stood still, the rain pouring down relentlessly all around and on him, he heard the tell-tale flapping of wings.

“Wings?” Dimitri noted, and his gaze directed to the sound’s source. To his relief, there came a familiar and reliable ally, and he made a touchdown in front of the teen. 

“Dimitri? Oh, it is you!” Seteth exclaimed. “I was searching for you everywhere!”

“Seteth!” called Dimitri, some of his worries alleviated by the Rito’s presence. “Thank goodness you’re here...I honestly don’t know what to make of this...horrible scene.”

“Mhmm.” Seteth grunted, a somber nod reflecting his mood. “If you were looking for the Water Spirit, Jabun, then I’m sorry to say that he can no longer be found here.”

Dimitri’s heart sank. “I-Is Jabun...?”

“Dead? Oh no, no he isn’t.” Seteth corrected. “He just went into hiding somewhere else, which I will explain in a bit.”

The blonde smiled gratefully; not all hope was lost after all.

Seteth continued. “Just look at this place...torn to pieces in every corner. I suppose this, too, is the work of the shadow in the Forsaken Fortress.”

The Fell King, Dimitri realized. So his resentment towards the ancient evil escalated greater. Not only was the Fell King willing to kidnap young people for his ends, but also destroy an island on top of it to fulfill them. The teen growled at how despicable those acts were.

“But not to worry! Jabun was able to flee this island before it was attacked.” Seteth informed. “He is in a safer abode now.”

Dimitri tilted his head, curious. “Where is Jabun now?”

“He is, how do I say this?” Seteth said, tone reluctant. The Rito kept dancing about in his tone of voice, until he breathed in and exhaled his answer. “Jabun is on the island where you were born. He is at Outset.”

The teen gasped in shock at his answer. Never had Dimitri thought that his home of all places would ever be a haven for a deity in hiding. “Then that means we have to get there now!”

“Yet even if you were to go to Outset now, you would not be able to see Jabun.” Seteth notified. “The cave where Jabun is hiding is sealed with a mighty stone slab that repels all who try to pass it. Why, not even the pirates with their mighty ship could break down that barrier.”

Now that statement got Dimitri’s head to perk up. “Wait, pirates?” His mind drifted to a certain someone with brunette hair and a yellow headscarf. 

Claude, was what Dimitri thought to himself. 

“How are they involved with the business with Jabun?”

Seteth sighed out, his face screaming out some kind of regret. “I apologize, Dimitri, but I thought that the pirates would’ve known about your whereabouts, and so I told them about this without acknowledging the consequences...”

“What do you mean?”

* * *

** A FEW HOURS AGO... **

Claude was on his way to Greatfish Isle as part of an ongoing mission to retrieve some information in regards to some special kind of treasure that he was searching for. The treasure in question was known to be a pearl of some kind, said to be hard to obtain, and connected to a time long past. 

Inside his cabin in the ship, his whole body was buried deep in parchments and scrolls of maps for his work, when a knock on the door alerted him.

“Who is it?” Claude yelled, still immersed in his research.

The one who responded gave a chuckle dripped with contralto. “Oh, you know who it is, Boy.”

“Ah, of course. Judith.” Claude replied, amused. “What’s the hold-up?”

“It’s Ignatz and Raphael, said that they needed you to look at something important.” Judith informed, her lips down turned to a frown. “From the sound of it, the two aren’t so optimistic at what they found.”

“Is that so? Well, I’m going to see for myself if that is the case.” Claude got up from his seat, and pushed the door of his room open to make his way out to the deck. 

Once he got out, he was immediately met with the voices of his navigator and driver.

“Captain, thank goodness you came!” Ignatz called from his position at the crow’s nest. “I did inspect the area, and it’s not looking so well.”

“Yeah...you might wanna check from the bow over there, Captain.” Raphael added, his face also reflecting his worry. Claude wondered what was going on that made them feel that way.

He got his answer once he went on the bow and pulled out his own spyglass. 

From his scope, Claude witnessed the horrid sight of an island being destroyed with terrible cyclones and turbulent lightning. The bolts of lightning set the island’s trees on fire, with many houses getting caught in the inferno very quickly. His view pointed to the shore, where there were small boats with a few people in them trying to escape. The others still on the island weren’t so lucky; some were either carried away by the strong cyclones or burned to a crisp from the lightning-infused fires. 

Claude stiffened at the sight. He hasn’t seen this much destruction and suffering since...since...

He shook his head. Now was not the time to think of the past’s grievous moments; he had to alert the rest of the crew.

“All hands on deck! This is important!”

As soon as he said, his band of pirates gathered to the center of the deck, all lined up and ready to listen to the captain’s words. 

“Alright, crew, Ignatz and Raphael here both alerted to me that something was going on at the destination we were supposed to go to.” Claude pointed at the island, which was already close from view due to the ship’s movement. The reactions from the pirate members were what he expected: downright shock and horror.

“By the Goddesses...” Marianne whispered.

“The overall sabotage and destruction...it’s repulsive!” Leonie yelled.

“I can’t believe a tragic thing happened to an island like Greatfish Isle...” Lysithea snarled.

“What did the island do to even get destroyed like that?” Balthus retorted.

Claude shook his head in vain. “Can’t say for sure, but what I can conclude is there’s no point landing here. Not when it’s highly likely that the treasure is gone along with it.”

“That’s terrible...” Hilda whined. “No treasure, and furthermore, no island; I can’t believe this happened to them!”

While the crew members were voicing out their grievances, a flap of a pair of wings caught Claude’s ears; curious, he turned to see a Rito flying overhead on the ship. His emerald eyes widened: that Rito was the same postman from the day before!

The pirate captain cupped his hands around his mouth and gave a yell. “Hey, you there! What are you doing flying around here?”

Seteth heard of the captain’s call, and therefore flew down to perch on the ship’s railing, near the bow. The Rito, from his scrunched eyebrow expression, didn’t seem too pleased with having his flight interrupted.

“I was running an errand, in case you were wondering,” Seteth replied, a tone that rang merely annoyed. “Great Valoo has instructed me to search for someone important and tell him about the situation here on this island.”

Claude’s heart stopped for a moment upon hearing a ‘him’. He hoped that it would be that someone, but with the failed efforts to find him, a part of his mind said that was impossible. That there was no way he could’ve survived that encounter in the Forsaken Fortress...

“And who would that someone be?” Claude questioned, masking his uncertainty with the usual charm to his voice.

“Why, it’s Dimitri!” Seteth confirmed, emphasizing the lancer’s name. “I was told by Valoo that Dimitri was meant to be on his way here, but from the looks of it, he hasn’t arrived yet, so he doesn’t know.”

From there, Seteth’s words rang repeatedly in Claude’s head. _Dimitri is alive...Dimitri is actually...alright...The Great Sea had spared his life._

On the inside, Claude was truly relieved to hear the news. The brunette had repeatedly tried to contact Dimitri with his own Pirate’s Charm, to no avail, for there wasn’t anyone responding on the other end. Just an hour ago, he decided that he would give up trying to contact the blonde lancer, and accept the fact that he must’ve been buried in a watery grave. Hence he buried himself with work earlier, just to try and forget that sad truth...

And yet...to hear that Dimitri was safe, and still going, Claude couldn’t help but smile a little from that good news.

“What are you smiling for?” Seteth inquired, his eyes noticing the upward quirk of the captain’s lips.

“It’s nothing. Just something that I remembered which made me okay.” Claude replied, snappy in his tone but inwardly, he was genuinely happy.

* * *

** BACK TO THE PRESENT... **

“I then told the pirates about Jabun and the fact that he was hiding in Outset Island,” Seteth explained to Dimitri, who was lending his ear to the whole thing. “So, they went to Outset Island, in hopes of getting Nayru’s Pearl from Jabun.”

“They did what?” Dimitri asked, albeit rhetorical.

“Yes, they tried to break into Jabun’s hiding spot, but...” Seteth trailed off, remembering the incident as clear as crystal.

* * *

** A FEW HOURS AGO... **

“Are you sure about this, Captain?” Ignatz asked, looking on at the scene below him. Said scene was a catapult on the bow, with boulders on the side, ready to launch. Balthus finished loading up one big boulder, with Leonie at his other side for standby.

“I’m absolutely sure.” Claude responded, arms crossed and looking on determinedly at the giant stone slab at his front. “Furthermore, it’s to test a theory of mine.”

Claude didn’t even bother to further explain it, as he raised his hand to give the signal. “Everyone ready?”

“We are, Captain!” Leonie called from her position, Balthus giving a thumbs up. Hilda and Marianne were also by the side of the ship, near the catapult in case they needed to switch crew-members. Raphael went off of his post at the steering wheel in favor of watching this unfold; even Lorenz and Judith got out from their areas within the ship to see this spectacle.

Meanwhile, Seteth was on the sail’s mast, looking on with a blank stare. 

“Ready! And...” Claude pointed his arm forward. “Fire!”

Balthus spun the wheel on the catapult’s side, launching the boulder dead straight on the stone slab. The boulder collided with the slab, and to almost everyone’s surprise, the slab didn’t crack from the pressure. 

But the boulder did, disintegrating into pieces and falling into the water.

“...Wait, that didn’t work out like we thought it would!” Balthus complained. “Cap, I think we should do it again, so that maybe that giant stone wall of a door will finally crack open.”

Lysithea wasn’t convinced about where this was going. “Now hang on, I don’t think we should keep at this—-“

“Balthus is right, let’s do it again.” Claude agreed, much to her shock.

“But that’s not—“

“Fire!” Claude ordered, to which Leonie loaded and launched another one at the stone slab.

Like with the first boulder, it was met with the same result. As a result, Claude ordered that every single one of their boulders should be launched to get at least some kind of positive result. That plan would’ve almost went through if it weren’t for Lysithea and Judith scolding him for trying to waste their ammunition.

“Alright then, we’ll only have one more shot at this, then I’ll announce what our next move will be.” Claude finalized. From there, he personally lifted up and loaded the final shot for the catapult, and made the signal. “Fire!”

Balthus launched the boulder, which did hit the slab with a tremendous amount of force. All were still; they were watching to see if the boulder would crack under pressure from the launch...

...and to almost everyone’s disappointment, it still did.

Claude crossed his arms, nonchalant about the results, considering it was only to test his aforementioned theory from earlier. “Well, that just proves it; the only way this thing will ever open is with a weapon very potent and volatile that the door could not withstand the force of it.”

Marianne raised her hand. “What do you have in mind, Captain? What will be the weapon?”

As his response to the question, Claude only smirked, arms still crossed, and winked. The crew knew that tic from anywhere; their captain had an idea and he would stick with it and make it work. Despite his peculiar and downright pragmatic approach to situations at times, the crew were assured that whatever Claude had planned, it was for the best outcome.

“Crew, set a course for Windfall Island.” He announced, and immediately the band of pirates went back to their original positions, making preparations for their departure. Claude went to the bow of the ship, looking at nothing in particular, but remained with his emerald gaze steeled. 

“We’re going to have an appointment with a certain shopkeeper there who just loves to keep his monopoly on explosives...”

* * *

** BACK TO THE PRESENT... **

Seteth concluded his story. “So the pirates made a head start and went straight to Windfall Island to retrieve bombs as part of their plan.” He looked to the side, at the direction on where Windfall was located. “It was lucky that they were unable to enter the cave, so now you have a chance of catching up and get information on how to see Jabun.”

“Alright.” Dimitri nodded, now setting up the new agenda of this part of his quest. With that done, he turned his attention to the still-pouring rain falling on them. “...It’s still raining here.”

“True.” Seteth acknowledged, looking up at the dark swirl of clouds above Greatfish Isle. “What an eerie place this is...Everywhere else has clear skies and calm waters, but this locations suffers dark clouds and rain.” 

The Rito’s eyes narrowed. “Valoo was right when he asked me to bring word of Jabun to you...he called this place cursed.”

Seteth then pivoted to the other side, turning his back on Dimitri, ready to leave. But not before parting with these words. “I would counsel against staying here longer than you have to...but that is your decision to make. My purpose of informing you about Jabun has been completed!” He unraveled his wings, and proceeded to fly upward. “Until we meet again, Dimitri! And may the treacherous winds spare you!”

Dimitri waved goodbye to Seteth, and then made his way to the King of Blue Lions, who overheard their entire conversation from start to finish. 

“So, Jabun has survived!” The boat cried in relief. “The Sea Spirit has lived through the trials of many long years. He must have caught wind of Ganon’s attack beforehand...” He speculated. “If we are to believe the words of the Rito postman, then the pirates would know something about the cave where Jabun hides.”

Dimitri boarded the King of Blue Lions’s back and then hoisted up the sail. “To Windfall we go then!” Dimitri proclaimed, pulling out his Wind Waker to conduct the Wind’s Requiem and redirect the gales northeast, as instructed by the boat. Once he did just that, Dimitri and the King of Blue Lions sailed away from Greatfish Isle, intent on getting what they need to continue their journey.

Time was running by, and the storm and lightning never stopped even as they left the destroyed island.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would’ve loved to see Tetra do more stuff with her crew in the original Wind Waker, sort of like a side chapter where we get to witness (even play as) her in their shenanigans.
> 
> The next part will come in soon, and it’ll be the reunion of these two main leads! (I’m personally excited to write this.)
> 
> Feel free to give feedback! :D


	16. The Reunion of Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri braves through the thunderstorm brought on by the curse of the Endless Night to make it to Windfall Island’s bomb shop. Once he arrives, he secretly listens to the conversation from the pirates inside.
> 
> Later, after he gets the bombs for free courtesy of Lorenz, he finally comes face to face once more with the pirates’ captain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 16 is here! And hoo boi am I excited to post this.
> 
> Here’s the part where Dimitri just goes all Solid Snake and eavesdrops on the pirates. Plus, the long awaited reunion between the main leads is here! This is especially long since I was so motivated to write this scene.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy the new addition!

Dimitri found it hard to concentrate as he sailed onward; the seas were no longer calm as Seteth had described. Rather, they’ve also become just as chaotic as the waves that crashed on Greatfish Isle. His ears caught the sounds of thunder, and his eyes witnessed the flashes of lightning scattered across the sky. Looks like the King of Blue Lions’s hunch about an upcoming storm was right.

“Keep your eyes open, dear boy!” The King of Blue Lions roared, his voice at least overpowering the cries of the rainfall. “This storm can and will try to capsize us, so let us not lose focus and keep our pace!”

Dimitri acknowledged the boat’s warning, squinting his eyes trying to keep the storm’s rain from getting at his vision. The clouds of the hurricane kept on getting darker, its wrath stronger and less hesitant to wreck anything in its way. A wave rose up from their side, and crashed just as quickly as it formed, causing both the boat and his rider to nearly fall. 

From his internal clock, Dimitri knew that it was supposed to be morning, let the sun rise to soften the storm’s vengeance. Yet the climate wasn’t calming down, or becoming more favorable to Dimitri and his boat’s path.

“This endless darkness...I have no doubt that the Fell King has the capability to do this.” The King of Blue Lions brooded, his eyes still doing his best to keep watch on where they were cruising over amidst the cascade of rain. “I can see the island’s silhouette! Just a few distances more, and we will land.”

At this point, what can’t the Fell King do? Dimitri wondered, as this foe from the shadows did nothing but send vile creatures to disturb the peace in the Great Sea’s islands, instigated the kidnappings of some of the dwellers, down to destroying an island itself and bring copious and calamitous bouts of rainfall and lightning. And for what? 

Whatever petty motive the Fell King had, which in Dimitri’s personal opinion, was inane and detestable, even if he didn’t know of it yet. He only felt grief from the lives lost in Greatfish Isle’s destruction, and a lot of sympathy for those who were indirectly impacted by the ancient evil’s actions.

The storm seemed to calm down slightly, just as Dimitri and the King of Blue Lions went closer to their destination. It was only a few more minutes, then they reached the shore of Windfall, near the lagoon from when the two first met. At their left, there floated the giant ship belonging to the band of pirates.

On a rush, Dimitri hopped off his boat’s back, and quickened his feet to rush to the bomb shop, only to be stopped by a call from the King of Blue Lions.

“Dimitri! Just wait for a bit, and listen to what I have to say.” The blue boat chided. Dimitri skidded backwards to the shore, and his mouth let out a flustered noise. 

“Sorry...” He apologized, tensely scratching his nape with his fingers. “I guess I got so excited about getting to fetch the orb and go see Jabun.”

“Not when you’re on a rush without thinking of the outcome.” The King of Blue Lions admonished, a bit entertained by his protégé’s sheepishness. “As I was saying, I know not about what they are researching, but if they are hoping to get their hands on Jabun’s sacred gem, they’d be less likely to give you the information willingly.”

Dimitri agreed with the sentiment. “I guess so. Despite my limited time with them, I know that they are a stubborn bunch...” His head stared to the side, the tips of his ears turning into a light flush. “...especially Claude.”

“Precisely.” The King of Blue Lions sided with that account. “Hence, I suggest that you find out what they’re up to...stealthily.”

The teen assented. “Got it. I’ll try to find some opening where I can go inside without being spotted.” His blue eyes scoped the bomb shop from where he was standing on the shore. Upon inclining his head more, he saw a small hole at the taller part of the bomb shop’s building. Just from that, Dimitri found hidden access. 

“I’ll be off!” And with a wave to the King of Blue Lions, Dimitri rushed to the building. With the help of a ladder that was conveniently next to it, he climbed up and went inside the hole. 

* * *

Dimitri crawled on the upper platform of the bomb shop, and what he saw nearly made him gasp and blow his cover.

The pirate crew was there, two of them handling the tied up shop owner. Another three were on one side of the room, lifting up the barrels of explosives to the door. The shop owner kept on struggling in his bounds, his mouth muffled to keep his cries for help silent. It really looked like they meant business with their latest scheme, and from the looks of things, thankfully didn’t notice their latest company.

One of the pirates who handled their hostage (Dimitri could tell from the pink hair that it was Hilda.) was tightening the rope around the red-headed shop owner. “Hey, don’t be mad at us! It’s not our fault that we totally needed bombs to get the treasure that we’re pursuing!”

The other pirate facing the hostage (Dimitri saw the silver hair, and knew right away that it was Lysithea.) had her mouth turned up in a sneer. “How about you think of it as payback for the nasty little monopoly you tried to impose on this island, yes?”

Upon being satisfied with her handiwork on the knot, Hilda let go and just watched as the shopkeeper tried to resist his bounds. “So I bet you’re thinking now that it was foolhardy to try and ask us pirates to pay such an outrageous price?...Hmm, I thought so!” Hilda laughed.

Lysithea diverted her attention from the shopkeep to her fellow crew member. “...You know, Hilda, I still can’t believe that you managed to get the information out of that Rito postman earlier.” 

Rito postman? Dimitri rightly concluded that it was Seteth they were speaking of, based from the conversation he had with him before.

Her eyes turned to the muscular man with the jet-black hair (Balthus, Dimitri correctly guessed.). “And I thought that Balthus was the one who was supposed to be the fast-talker capable of charming people with words.” She snarked, earning an indignant “Hey!” from the guy in question, who remained at his task of carrying the load.

“Huh?” Hilda’s gaze went empty for a second, before regaining her words. “O-Oh, right! That was smooth, especially coming from someone like me, who doesn’t like to much talking.” The pink-haired pirate girl let out a little giggle, but strangely to Dimitri, it almost sounded like it was forced. “You know, the moment I set my eyes on Blondie, I just knew that he was hiding something back at Outset, yeah?” 

Now Dimitri was so tempted to butt in and say that he wasn’t even aware that Outset had a secret cave or something to begin with. But he couldn’t just reveal himself unintentionally; he had to get information without so much as a sound.

“So when the postman mentioned him, I just, y’know, pretended that I was worried about Blondie and stuff...” Hilda continued, her tone less convincing for someone who pretended to be concerned.

“Or you could just say that you truly worried for me, because I don’t sound convinced that you were pretending earlier.” Dimitri snickered silently to himself.

“...And boom! The guy spills the beans.” The lass finished.

Lysithea’s mouth went agape resembling an astonished grin. “Great work, Hilda! It’s funny though...this is probably the first time you actually worked your butt off, to make a telling performance no less!” Her stare turned thoughtful. “You know...with your cunning, and Captain Claude’s smarts...a kid that has both will be the best pirate that would ever sail the seas! Yes, definitely the greatest!”

“Oh shut it, Lysithea.” Hilda groaned. “I find even making a credible performance too much work for a person such as myself.” Her head shifted to the side. “Hey, Captain! Are you listening to this? Can’t you dock her some pay or something?”

Said Captain, who was reclining against the wall closest to Dimitri’s hiding spot, didn’t look too willing to be part of the conversation. “You guys should probably cut that out. Remember, we have to get these bombs back to the ship.” Claude reminded them. “The second we’re done loading them up, we’re headed straight to Outset Island!”

Dimitri peeked closer upon hearing Claude’s voice; he missed the sound of it, even if they only talked to each other sparingly in their first meeting and the moments after. If only they had to spoke to each other more, it would be pleasant...wait.

He mentally slapped himself; the teen couldn’t believe that he was even thinking about the pirate captain that way. Now wasn’t the time to get so saccharine about such things—-guess Claude was right on that regard.

Hilda’s voice raised higher in volume out of dismay. “Whaaat?! We’re leaving immediately? But Captain...” Her voice whined. “...it’s been so long since we went onshore! We need to fill our bellies with some good food, yeah? How about we feast tonight and shove off tomorrow morning instead?”

When she saw that Claude’s expression was left unchanged, she changed course. “A-Although I’m fine with what you decide either way, of course! That’s what I meant, surely! Just that all of us here were so excited to get to a busy place like Windfall, and it would be a waste to leave so soon without a proper break.” She turned to her fellow crew members, who stopped in their tracks listening to the exchange. “Isn’t that right guys?”

Balthus, Judith, Leonie, Marianne, Ignatz and Raphael all remained silent at this account. 

“You’re all oblivious, aren’t you?” Claude snapped. Dimitri didn’t take this as a good sign. The captain ran his hands through his hair in spite of his yellow headscarf. “You saw the demolished island, and the senseless destruction that came with it! It’s only necessary that we head to Outset Island immediately, or else the same fate could befall there!” 

Needless to say, the rest of the crew never heard their leader this upset before, it almost seemed too odd for him to feel so strongly about something in particular. For Dimitri though, he was touched by how much Claude manifested his concern. Though the captain didn’t say it outright, Dimitri got the message that Claude did care, and for the welfare of the former’s birthplace no less. The lancer couldn’t help but smile wistfully by those words.

“Huh?” Lysithea raised an eyebrow, peering at Claude. “Not to be disrespectful, Captain, but by the sound of things, you’re more distressed about the island than the treasure...” She trailed off, her lips tightening. 

“Don’t be ridiculous,” scoffed the brunette. “I want it, of course!” He gazed to the side. “The treasure...” His voice faltered, then he squinted his eyes. Claude couldn’t help but think that he and his whole crew were being watched. To test that theory, he shifted his eyes upward, and lo and behold, behind the upper platform, there was the tuft of blonde hair that could only belong to one person.

Meanwhile, Dimitri’s eyes were caught in the gaze of Claude’s own, and knowing he might get his cover blown, promptly crawled backwards to avoid being seen. 

Claude, exhaling a fond sigh, winked up to Dimitri before standing up from his spot. “Alright, fine! Have it your way, guys.” He declared, walking towards the shop’s entrance. “We can leave town tomorrow, you big babies.” His ears were met with whooping cheers, as expected. “But! We set sail in the first morning light, understand?”

“Aye aye, Captain!” The crew responded in kind. Most of them went to leave, with Lysithea mostly staying behind to remind them, “Remember, the password to reenter the ship is Swabbies, alright? Swabbies!”

“We get it!” The rest echoed, and they all left, sans the bomb shopkeeper, who was still tied up. Considering what Dimitri had heard about the man’s unfair monopoly, he just left him behind as he proceeded to get to the ship.

* * *

Once he reached the giant vessel, he went to the door, knocking on it. A voice rang out from the other side. “Who cleans pirate’s ears?!”

“Swabbies.” Dimitri responded, remembering the password.

“Right! Right! You may enter!” The voice cheered, and Dimitri heard a latch unlocking. He didn’t hesitate to enter the inside of the ship.

Once indoors, he went further inside to meet eyes with none other than Lorenz, who looked at him with eyes and mouth wide.

“Dimitri! My old swabbie! So you’re alive after all!” Lorenz greeted.

The lancer hummed. “Indeed I am.”

“You know, all the other pirates thought you were done for after that stunt in the Forsaken Fortress...yet the captain, for all his trouble, tried to contact you.” Lorenz informed. “He thinks no one’s heard him, but I did overhear him call your name, using the Pirate’s Charm of his. Then that postman arrived, and told us that you were alright and moving.”

“Yes, Seteth did tell me that he met you lot earlier.” Dimitri confirmed. “And Claude...tried to call me?”

“He did! But everytime he turned out with nothing.” Lorenz frowned, thinking. “From what I’ve managed to hear from my eavesdropping, Captain uttered something about ‘an outside force blocking the communication line’, which was why he couldn’t reach you, let alone see your face.”

An outside force? Now that Dimitri thought about it, the King of Blue Lions’s voice was the one who kept speaking to him whenever the trinket chimed, so that answered who was blocking the signal. Now the question was how did the boat do it without a Pirate’s Charm of his own? Knowing the King of Blue Lions’s mysterious nature, that would be an answer for another time.

“You know, because you’ve come all this way, you can just have the bombs that we managed to keep here!” Lorenz offered, leading Dimitri to the chamber to where the weapons where kept. In the center of the room was a chest, to which Dimitri quickly opened, and pulled out a bomb bag from the inside.

“All of the others will surely scold me if they found out I just let you have them for free...” Lorenz scowled, anxious. “But I thought that you needed them for sure.”

Dimitri smiled. “Don’t worry, these things are exactly what I had to get.” He took his cue to leave the inside of the pirate ship. “See you again, Lorenz!”

“See you!” Lorenz jived, waving in earnest as the lancer left the ship’s chambers.

* * *

Now that Dimitri had the bombs and the bomb bag ready in his person, he made the move to return to the King of Blue Lions. Though, not before a chime from his pocket got him still in his tracks. Thinking that it was the King of Blue Lions trying to notify him, he pulled it out and didn’t slow down in giving his update.

“King, I’ve done it, and I’m ready to make my way back—-“

_“That’s mighty courageous of you...trying to steal treasure from pirates.”_ The voice that responded to Dimitri was different, and awfully familiar. From the slick tone it carried, Dimitri could only conclude that is was none other than—

“Claude?” 

The pirate captain’s voice chuckled from the other end, and it was so clear it was almost like he was close by. _“I supposed I should be shocked...but I’m more amazed that you managed to survive after being tossed out of that tower.”_

“I was rescued, that’s why I survived.” Dimitri explained, leaving out the detail of exactly who did the rescuing.

“From the look on your face, I have to guess that you haven’t saved your sister, hmm?” Okay, now the voice was becoming too clear and too present for it to be just within a communication trinket. With a glance to the side, Dimitri, much to his surprise, found Claude reclining against a building, a wink and smirk on his features. 

Dimitri had nothing else to remark on apart from what Claude had just asked. He still couldn’t believe that he was able to meet him again.“I haven’t saved Edelgard, at least not yet.” The lancer replied to Claude’s last question.

“You don’t give things much thought, do you?” Claude admonished teasingly, moving close to gaze fully at Dimitri’s baby blues. “You just rush in, never thinking how things could end badly for you.”

Dimitri opened his mouth to protest, only for him to shut it. From what happened the first time he tried to rescue Edelgard, the whole sea toss occurred as a result. He had to admit that Claude remained in the right for that fact.

“Like just earlier...the only reason you got what you did was because we left behind someone like Lorenz to look after things.” Claude commented, poking at Dimitri’s shoulder. “No one else would’ve been able to part with our treasure that easily, I can assure you!”

“Well, I’m just glad I got what I needed.” Dimitri told, already considering to leave, but not before the brunette grabbed him by his wrist, firm but not harsh.

“And just how do you intend to use those bombs, anyway?” Claude interrogated, even if he already had a clue about the answer. As much as Dimitri’s persistence was admirable, Claude wouldn’t let him go just yet. Besides, he was liking their little exchange.

“For something important, and that’s all I will say.” replied Dimitri. He still had a mission to do, and even if Claude’s hand holding his wrist was something he’d like to last, bigger things were at stake.

“Don’t tell me you’re headed to find the treasure too...” Claude speculated, words becoming faint, strangely enough.

The teen supposed that he could just get on with his mission, considering that the storm was getting worse in the ocean waters and that his boat did express urgency about this. Though, from the tense way Claude had uttered those words, however, Dimitri couldn’t help but sense worry from the other, at least, as far as he can tell.   
Seeing as there was no point in beating around the bush, the lancer sighed in defeat. “I am...and it’s really vital that I have to go.”

Claude supposed that he had to tell Dimitri the details; they were going for the same goal after all. “Right now, Jabun is hiding in a cave at the back of the island you were born on. Though the entrance is blocked by a sturdy stone doorway. You can’t get in without breaking down the door.”

Dimitri grinned, grateful for the intel. “That’s good to know. Thanks.”

The brunette chuckled. “It’s nothing. We’re aiming for the same thing, apparently.” His lips formed a grin, but it was unlike the smirks he usually made. “Anyways, my crew and I will be relaxing in town and have fun in what it has to offer, but we’ll be leaving for Outset first thing in the morning.”

Claude’s face then moved even closer to Dimitri’s own, gazing at him with that same teasing stare, but it was also a look that told the lancer that the captain was challenging him. “If you manage to find Jabun, then I guess you win. If not, then well, you get the idea. So...” His mouth moved close to Dimitri’s ear. “Get to it then.”

Dimitri resisted his face’s urge to turn crimson. He guessed that was enough of a motivation to get on with what he needed to do. “I will be going, then. Until next time, Claude.” The blonde then rushed away from the scene, reaching to the King of Blue Lions. 

“...and hopefully that next time is soon.” His voice whispered, while focusing on boarding his boat and getting a move on.

Claude, meanwhile, also took this as his signal to get back to his crew. In the process of doing so, he looked back, seeing the unmistakable silhouette of Dimitri riding his small boat back to his home island. Claude’s gaze turned longing.

“Be careful out there, Dimitri.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smooth, you guys, smooth.
> 
> In all seriousness, I hope I captured the chemistry between these two.
> 
> Next up, Dimitri gets a pearl, then gets launched away.
> 
> Feel free to give feedback! :D


	17. A Voyage Back Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri and the King of Blue Lions manage to reach Outset Island and meet up with Jabun. After a bit of prodding on the boat’s end, the Sea Spirit agrees to bless Dimitri with Nayru’s Pearl, but not long afterwards, he gives a request that only the boat understands.
> 
> Later, Dimitri checks up on his relative, and needless to say, it’s a heartwrenching sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 17 is here! So here we go.
> 
> A few major lore reveals will be made, particularly on Jabun’s dialogue because that’s also what happened in the original Wind Waker game.   
> Also, maybe get some wipes and ice cream ready.
> 
> Here’s the chapter, and enjoy reading!

After getting the bombs, and a memorable exchange with Claude, Dimitri sailed on his boat companion, heading down south to Outset Island. It wasn’t an easy voyage though; the storm from earlier still persisted overhead, and Dimitri thought that the lightning was trying to get at him directly, even if it wasn’t. Though considering who was responsible for the Endless Night, his worries weren’t entirely unfounded.

A certain amount of time had passed, and the thundering storm wasn’t going to let up anytime soon. By this time, Dimitri’s hair, used to be free flowing from the sea breeze, was now clumped and thick from the downpour. His clothing, formerly a bright teal and neatly pressed, were now wrinkled and drenched. 

“This rainfall just keeps going! When will this end?!” Dimitri shouted just as another strike of lightning and sound of thunder rang on at the sky. 

The King of Blue Lions, vigilant as he was in navigating ahead in the continuous drops of water, wasn’t faring well in seeing what was ahead by said rain. “I’m sorry to say, but the Endless Night and its storm will just be ongoing...it’s simply cursed!”

Dimitri huffed, his hold on the rudder slipping but firm. Giving up in the storm wasn’t in his agenda, not by a bit. Either he and his boat go overcome it alive, or die trying. “Well, if it’s not going to end, then we’ll make it end by seeing Jabun!” 

Actually, the lancer didn’t know whether the Endless Night would end once they’d meet up with the Sea Spirit. However, it didn’t hurt to have faith in hoping things would turn around for the climate and the time of day.

* * *

Some several minutes (and one giant wave that crashed onto them) later, Dimitri and the King of Blue Lions finally saw the familiar silhouette of twin summits and a lookout. Dimitri in particular beamed at the sight; he was finally home, even if it wouldn’t be for long.

The waves calmed as they approached the shore, lights from the huts on Outset brightened in contrast to the total night looming over. Nearing the dock, the King of Blue Lions fully stopped when his bottom touched the sand, and watched as Dimitri disembarked his back. 

“So, according to Claude, he told me that Jabun was located at a cave behind here...” Dimitri recapped. Dimitri inspected the backdrop of his home island; there were the twin summits, and both were certainly big enough to have a hollow space to house a giant deity like Jabun. It was a matter of which one was the correct one.

Dimitri held his chin with a thumb and forefinger, in thought. “Should we sail behind them to find out which one?”

“I don’t see why not, my boy.” The King of Blue Lions agreed to the suggestion. “Board onto my back; let’s inspect the place.”

The lancer readily complied, and using the boat’s rudder and sail, he steered his way towards the back of the taller mountain of Outset. It was hard to take a closer look of the entire scene, and with only the flashes of lightning as the only constant source of light, it was almost hard of them to see what was behind the tall rock formation. 

Only when Dimitri saw a giant stone slab at the center did he know that he was in the right spot. 

“We’ve found it! It’s over here.” Dimitri confirmed his little victory, he was one step closer to meeting Jabun. All he needed to do now was to bomb the doorway, to which he prepped by setting up the bombs from the bag. Surprisingly, the King of Blue Lions recoiled the sail, and pulled out a cannon from his trapdoor.

Dimitri did not hesitate to point out the sudden convenience. “Since when did you have a cannon, King?” Now that he said it, Dimitri now wondered what else could this already-magic boat have at his disposal.

“It’s been such a long time that I’ve sauntered the Great Sea, my boy. I don’t recall when I’ve first gotten this kind of equipment.” The boat admitted. “However, it will certainly be of use when we break down this door.”

With that out of the way, Dimitri loaded a few bombs inside the cannon’s barrel. A string was attached to it, meant to be a trigger to fire the ammunition at its target. A cry of “Fire!” from Dimitri rang through, and the first bomb was launched at the slab. 

After which, a giant crack formed, considerably big, but not enough to break the doorway.

“It’s working, boy. Keep firing some more shots!” encouraged the blue vessel.

The lancer followed suit, pulling the string a second time, and the bomb that was deployed made the crack go bigger. It was close to breaking the entire stone slab.

“Just one more!” Then Dimitri pulled the rope once more, and with the third bomb colliding with the doorway, it finally exploded and disintegrated. They now had access to their Sea Spirit of interest.

Dimitri and the King of Blue Lions looked at each other and exchanged a resolute nod. The little bit of wind that blew on the re-hoisted sail pushed the boat inside, into the near darkness of the cave.

* * *

The first thing they noticed once they entered was that there was absolutely no sound to be heard of within the cave’s confines, despite the now-open hole behind them. Any noise that was made only came from the boat moving in the water. Dimitri inclined his head to look at the liquid surface, and caught sight of what was definitely a sphere of light.

“Hey, King...I think I’ve found Jabun...”

As the words were uttered, a giant splash broke the water’s surface, coming into appearance being an giant angler fish. Colored blue and rotund, its arched antennae holding a blue pearl in its hold alongside its natural light.

_**"Well met, dear King!"**_ Jabun greeted, still in the same ancient tongue as Dimitri remembered from Valoo and the Great Deku Tree. 

“Well met, indeed, Jabun. I am pleased to see that you are safe...” The King of Blue Lions began. As much as Dimitri wanted to fully know what they were talking about, he just decided to take a listen, and see if he will be granted the pearl as per his mission.

_**“The events we have long feared seem to have been set into motion."**_ Jabun lamented, his expression unchanging. 

The boat’s head nodded, solemn. “Yes. It seems the ancient evil has returned. There can be no other explanation.”

_** "If you have sought me out, it must mean you have found the Hero Of Time, does it not?" ** _

“Unfortunately, that is not so.”

Jabun didn’t look too pleased. _**“Then for what purpose have you come to see me?"**_

“The one that I have brought with me has no connection to the legendary one.” The King of Blue Lions informed, referring to Dimitri, who still couldn’t shake off the awe that was seeing the two interact in ancient and modern tongues combined. “And yet, I sense great promise in the courage that this one possesses.”

_**“Promise? You suggest that I leave the fate of Hyrule up to mere chance?"**_ insinuated the Sea Spirit, his vocals echoing in the room.

“I do.” The boat insisted, his voice quiet, yet firm. “It is the only way.”

_**"I see...”** _Jabun decided. _**“Then I suppose it is up to the gods to deem whether his courage is true. I give you the guidepost to the Gods."**_

And then Jabun shook his whole head, the lantern on his antennae waving from side to side, until the blue orb fell out of the opening, then into Dimitri’s hands. The blonde could only gaze at it with reverence. “Nayru’s Pearl...” 

He then proceeded to keep it in his person, all the while the King of Blue Lions began to make a turn to the entrance to signal his leave. Dimitri respectfully bowed farewell to the deity, but not long after Jabun spoke up again.

_** “This jewel should break the curse that the Fell King has cast upon the land."  ** _

“So...that indeed only confirms what we’ve been suspecting all this time. The Fell King must have intended to cast this land into pure darkness for all time...” The King of Blue Lions surmised, not masking his hostility to the ancient evil.

Then Jabun asked something that appeared to surprise the boat. **_“Tell me, Hyrule King. Have you learned the whereabouts of the one who carries on the bloodline of the Prince, Khalid?"_**

The boat’s head looked on, his gaze unwavering as he responded. “...I believe I have.”

_** “That is well. You must protect Khalid. He cannot be permitted to fall into the hands of the ancient evil. I am counting on you!" ** _

Then Jabun submerged himself back into the water, presumably to hide somewhere safer. Dimitri and the King of Blue Lions exited the cave, taking their leave.

* * *

When they went out, they noticed that the skies were devoid of the dark clouds and vengeful rain from earlier. The curse was finally gone from the Great Sea.

“Morning should come very soon now, dear boy.” The King of Blue Lions spoke, observing the faint outline of the stars that were beginning to disappear by the sun’s incoming light. “It is well that we have gathered all three of the pearls.” His look on Dimitri became scrutinizing, a faint sign of a challenge within his eyes. “Are you ready, Dimitri?”

The lancer put his hand on his heart, which clenched into a fist. “I am, and for anything.”

The King of Blue Lions accepted that answer, and continued. “I have marked the places where you should go in your Sea Chart. Since you didn’t really meet up with the Fishmen from your focus in the quest, I thought it would be natural for me to do some cartography myself, just this once.”

Dimitri made a mental note to invest himself on completing the Sea Chart of his. 

“Once you have placed each of the pearls into its proper location, the proving grounds for your courage will become apparent.” enunciated the boat. “Clearly, the search for Jabun has shown that the Fell King has begun to make efforts to block our path forward. It’s certain that the trials you will face will become more challenging from there.”

The vessel’s head inclined towards Outset Island. “You should finish any business you have here on Outset right now, so you wouldn’t have any regrets later on.”

Now that made Dimitri reflect on how much he had went through thus far. He never did imagine that he would be away from home for more than a day, and all because he desired to save Edelgard from a place that has taken her as a prisoner. His eyes looked on to the stream in between the two land formations of the island, and beyond that, he set his eyes on the lookout tower. 

Dimitri reminisced that last meaningful and idyllic conversation he had with her, just before it all went down.

_ “I was about to give you something for your birthday. So, close your eyes for just a moment!...Alright, open them!” _

_ “You’re giving me your...telescope?”  _

_ “Indeed! I’m giving to you as something you can have...only for today.” _

_ “Well, I’ll make the most out of this anyways...so, thanks, Sister.” _

His hand pulled out that same telescope, fingers tracing the tiny illustration of the seagulls on its side. Should he fail and her life be lost, he didn’t want her last gift to him be a painful reminder. If anything, he wanted to make sure that he wouldn’t lose anymore of his family.

So he made his mind up.

“Actually, King...I do have to see my Uncle, just one more time, before I go on with this.” 

The boat nodded in understanding. “Alright, a visit to your loved one it is.”

So the boat and his rider sailed back to the front of Outset, and stopped in front of the dock so that the latter can go and visit his loved one. 

Dimitri wasted no time to rush into his house, excited to give his uncle a wonderful surprise. He opened the door, and called out for his relative.

“Uncle Rufus! It’s me!” His head looked around, searching for him. “It’s Dimitri!” The teen went inside, and fully closed the door, noticing that it was eerily quiet, save for a faint flame, most likely from the fireplace. 

“I’ve come by for a quick visit, and I just want to say hi to you before I leave again.” Still no response. Now Dimitri got curious, and very worried. “Uncle? Where are you?” 

He moved to the main room, which consisted of a table, wooden benches and the fireplace used for cooking. There were also two beds on the side, near the window. Right next to the fireplace, seated on a reclining chair, was a sight Dimitri wished he didn’t see.

His Uncle Rufus was seated, eyes squinted shut, excreting drops of sweat profusely. His whole body was swaying, almost delirious, as if he was trapped in a nightmare in his sleep. The older man clutched at his blanket, his fingers turning white from the grip. But that wasn’t what made Dimitri close to tears; it was the words that his uncle groaned, broken and in pain.

“Dimitri...Edelgard...” Rufus’s voice called out, delirious. “Don’t go...don’t leave...” He then wailed, his eyebrows and mouth clenching from the grip of sorrow. “Don’t leave your poor uncle here all alone...”

Dimitri’s eyes watered at this whole sight. He didn’t realize how much this whole thing was truly affecting his uncle, right until this moment. His hand moved to touch Rufus’s forehead, and only grimaced at how hot it felt to the touch. 

“Uncle...you were worried sick for me...and for El...” His bottom lip wobbled, and eyes becoming even more glossy from the overwhelming sadness as he moved to embrace around his uncle’s middle. “I’m sorry things had to be this way...I’m sorry...” The embrace from his arms became tighter.

Woe befell both uncle and nephew at this moment. Dimitri let out a shaky breath, his eyes giving into temptation to let it out, but he steeled himself. He wouldn’t cry, not now. Not when he knew that Edelgard wasn’t here with them yet. Just a little more time, then this will be fully over. 

The younger’s lungs let out an exhale, and then he stood up, giving a lingering stare to his older guardian one more time.

“I will save her, Uncle. I will.” He declared. “...And I will find a way to cure you too.”

Then he left his home, and ran his way back to the King of Blue Lions to continue onward. Dimitri was silent the whole time they prepared for the departure, and the boat chose to say nothing else, as to let him have his moment of respite. 

Conveniently, the winds were northeast, so there was no need for a wind direction change and the sail picked up the gales to push them forward.

It was a silent ride to the first Triangle Island.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Well, shoot. That hurt.
> 
> Anyways, the next part is where Dimitri will be launched into the air (again) and be hit against a wall (again). I don’t know, you guys, it’s just that Dimitri’s standing in for a Link who suffers from slapstick scenes.
> 
> Feel free to give feedback! :D


	18. The Triangle Islands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having finally gotten the last pearl from the Sea Spirit Jabun, Dimitri wastes no time in getting to all three Triangle Islands to place the three Goddess Pearls in their proper places. While still having to dodge living hazards from his route.
> 
> Later, after he puts on the last pearl in its place, he’s met with an unwelcome surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 18’s here! The calm before the storm...
> 
> ...that is, writing the next dungeon chapter. *pained noises*  
> So not much happens here, aside from the main ditty that is placing the important plot trinkets in their proper places to gain access to the next trial.  
> Also, beware, there will be physical harm by way of slapstick.
> 
> With that said, enjoy reading!

It was almost silent the whole time they rode up to the first Triangle Island.

Even after several minutes since departing Outset, Dimitri hadn’t uttered a single word, let alone a sign as to what he did, let alone saw in his home before they left. The silence was too strange, even for a serious mission such as this. In an attempt to get at least a bit of conversation from the teen, the King of Blue Lions turned his neck around to gaze at the other. 

What he saw was Dimitri, blue eyes vacant in its stare, directed more on the water’s surface than forward. His grip on the rudder wasn’t even a grip, more like a loose hold. It left no doubt in the boat’s mind that something was truly bothering his protégé.

Eventually, Dimitri noticed the vessel bore his eyes into his skull. “...W-What is it, King?” Hearing his own voice made him realize how small he felt at that moment.

The King of Blue Lions let out a fatherly sigh. “I know I do not have the right to interfere in your personal affairs, but...” The boat’s head lowered, his gaze softening, a way to calm both himself and Dimitri. “...you should be free to let out what’s bothering you. Not because it would interfere with your goal, but because it can be a terrible burden to shoulder on for too long.”

Dimitri released a minute gasp from this piece of advice. A part of him wished it was easy for him to do, but there were things that were still in the way. Namely, that his sister was still in a cage, still locked up and uncertain on whether she’ll survive or otherwise. As if from afar, he can feel that kind of pain resonate from her, within his veins. He made a resolve to save dear Edelgard, but being so unsure on whether it will succeed made him felt so alone in the struggle. 

Then on top of that, his own uncle got ill from both of his only family being away from him for different reasons. Being the only one who was still well enough and willing to aid his family, that burden had to have gotten to Dimitri eventually.

If only it were truly easy to say.

Instead, Dimitri shook his head, stiffening up his shoulders and holding on to the boat’s rudder firmly once more. “Just something that was bugging me, but otherwise, I know I will be fine.” 

Dimitri didn’t say what exactly pestered his thoughts, but he didn’t deny that there was something wrong either. Simply put, he just wanted to only acknowledge it, and then press on with something else.

The King of Blue Lions didn’t really buy that statement, but otherwise hummed, relieved that his companion managed to speak up. “If you say so, dear boy.” His head then turned back to face forward, and beamed at what he saw. 

“Look! We’re close to the first Triangle Island! Get ready.”

* * *

Dimitri put back the sail, and slowly the boat touched the edge of the Southern Triangle Island. As per the routine, Dimitri boarded off the boat, and proceeded to make his way to the top of the isle to find the statue meant to hold the pearl. He thought it would be a simple task...until he saw a bunch of Seahats floating close by.

“Better make this quick then!” 

His whole body rushed to climb up the ledges impeding his path to the statue, and the Seahats getting closer did not help a bit.

Finally, Dimitri came face to face with the first statue of the first destination of the day. It was a peculiar one; the statue had a mouth, vacant eyes, and had stubs for hands. Dimitri reached out a hand, and instantly the statue’s eyes began to glow, much to his surprise.

_ “Young traveler who wishes to seek the test of the gods...place the pearl of the goddess before my hands.” _

Looking closer at the statue’s face, Dimitri noted the tell-tale crest on its forehead: three small crescents bunched up together, with three circles next to their openings. From the crest alone, Dimitri identified it as that of the Mark of Nayru; so he pulled out the blue pearl, and balanced it delicately on the statue’s hands. 

Dimitri noticed that the whole sky went dark for a moment, just as the statue’s eyes began to glow a bright blue. 

“I think that’s the first one done, and—-“ Dimitri narrowly avoided a Seahat that just flew by his head. “I better make it to the next one before they get me!”

He leapt from ledge to ledge, then cannon balled into the water and straight to his boat. The lancer panted as he boarded the King of Blue Lions’s back. “Let’s go; those flying things are probably not happy that we are here.”

“True.” The boat agreed, on the lookout for anymore living hazards. “Now, the next Triangle Island, if you look at your Sea Chart, is the Eastern Triangle Island.” Dimitri inspected his parchment, and as the boat had mentioned, the next destination was located east. Without instruction, Dimitri pulled out his Wind Waker and conducted the same melody to change wind direction. This time, he concentrated and pointed to the east, the gales obeying his silent command. 

Now that it was done, Dimitri resumed his sailing trip to his next stop.

* * *

Along the ride, Dimitri utilized his telescope, searching for anything that could be a hazard that would try and kill both him and his boat companion. The Seahats, he thought, were probably a taste of what could come at them this time. As he was gazing through the lens, his eye caught sight of a light blue sphere, with a spark on its top. Dimitri guessed correctly that it was a bomb...

...and realized almost too late that it was heading straight for them.

“By Din’s might!” Dimitri grabbed the rudder and leaned back, making the King of Blue Lions scoot to an inch right, just as the bomb landed close to them in the water and exploded. He wiped his forehead from the adrenaline rush. 

“That was close...”

“A bomb that was trying to hit us...” the blue vessel observed, and at the corner of his eye found a silhouette that could be the source of such. “Careful, dear boy. There are lookouts at sea that will hit anything and everything that comes into their vicinity. The least you could do is be observant.”

Dimitri collected himself, and let the wind blow in their direction east. “Got it.” If ever he would be in the sights of the rogue lookouts again, Dimitri was certain that he would get rid of them with what he has got. Right now, though, he had to make sure the second pearl was delivered safely to its statue.

And lo and behold, the shape of the second Triangle Island manifested itself once the two approached it. Same as before, Dimitri got off and went through the same procedure of getting up every ledge until reaching the top, to where the next statue stood by.

This next one had no mouth, unlike Nayru’s, but it had ears and the same shape of vacant eyes. Also like before, a voice spoke from within the figure.

_ “Young traveler who wishes to seek the test of the gods...place the pearl of the goddess before my hands.” _

It took Dimitri one look at the statue’s crest on its forehead (a series of crescents that went smaller and smaller, with the smallest encircling a circle) to identify it as Farore’s Pearl that was needed to go on. His hands revealed the green orb, and then delicately placed it on the statue’s hands. The sky went dark for a moment once again, with the figure’s vacant eyes glowing a bright green this time.

“Two down, and one more to go.” 

Dimitri got down from the ledge and boarded the King of Blue Lions to make it to the last one. This time, he only took one look at the Sea Chart to remember that the next direction was northwest. Therefore, he took out his helpful little wind baton, and conducted his direction to northwest, and the winds instantly complied.

The sail unfurled, and so they were headed straight to the last one. 

* * *

Now the route to the third statue was probably where Dimitri was constantly on-watch. There were Seahats, and an occasional Octorok that popped up every so often. Two of the giant fish-like creatures even flew close to the boat, and Dimitri ducking down was the only reason why he didn’t get hit by them. When the King of Blue Lions said that trials were going to get difficult from here on out, Dimitri didn’t think that it would this challenging so soon, and certainly not to the point where there were living things out at sea trying to kill him.

But who was he to complain? He and his boat companion did brave the Endless Night and the storm that came with it.

“Just a little further, then we can put the last pearl on the statue and then we’ll move on.” Dimitri encouraged himself.

A new Octorok popped up from the ocean, and this time, it pelted a giant projectile straight at their direction. Out of instinct, Dimitri changed the sail to the cannon and pulled the cannon’s trigger, knocking out the Octorok immediately. Feeling the change of equipment, the King of Blue Lions raised an eyebrow at his protégé. 

“It was an Octorok; didn’t want it to pelt boulders at us every few minutes.” Dimitri stated, deadpan.

Some few more Seahats flying by and more Octoroks surfacing later, Dimitri handled the travel smoothly all the way to the last Triangle Island. Per the usual with the last two Triangle Islands, he climbed up all the way to the top, where the statue rested. Unlike its fellow brethren from the previous islets, this particular one only had a nose, while still retaining the same blank black circles for eyes. Then a new voice was heard, with the same message. 

_ “Young traveler who wishes to seek the test of the gods...place the pearl of the goddess before my hands.” _

With only one pearl left, Dimitri placed the last one, Din’s Pearl, onto the statue’s open hands. The sky dimmed as the figure’s eyes finally glowed a brilliant orange, and with all three complete with their respective pearls, Dimitri watched for the result.

* * *

Just then, a rumbling was heard from beneath his feet, and as he had his eyes still on the figure, rays of light bursted from it, shining very brightly. Dimitri saw how radiant it became; it was almost like...it was about to explode. Wait.

“Shoot!”

Wasting no time to get to safety, Dimitri jumped off to a level below, planning to take cover for the inevitable. He watched as the light from behind him grew ever brighter...which then dimmed completely.

“Huh?” 

Dimitri raised a brow at this twist, and wanted to know what made it stop. Hence he climbed back up, and took another look at the figure. The eyes were still glowing, the sound of it radiating its power being heard. His vision narrowed, focused on finding a reaction from the statue...

There seemed to be none.

“Well, I don’t see why it stop—-!”

And the statue bursted, the force of it so strong it flung Dimitri into the air and upward. The momentum of the explosion carried him far back, and the lancer could only scream even as the impact punched the air out of his lungs. Instantly, Dimitri was reminded of a similar scenario that also didn’t end well for him.

“Not again...” Dimitri groaned, still at his impromptu flight.

* * *

Back down, the statue that bursted revealed a feminine figure in orange-red, holding Din’s Pearl. The female figure raised it up, the pearl letting out a laser, directed southeast. Next, the statue on the Eastern Triangle Isle got hit by that same laser, which then revealed another female figure, this time in bright green raising up Farore’s Pearl. The green orb shot out the next beam, which hit the final statue, and revealing a female figure in blue. It was holding up Nayru’s Pearl to emit the final beam of light, which went back to the figure in orange-red. 

The beams of light formed a giant triangle, and together they have unlocked a secret from down below.

In the center of the triangle, a new burst of bright light emerged, and something began to rise up to the water’s surface. A pillar of grey rose up from the sea, the openings on its side excreting the water that filled it up for ages long past. The pillar grew bigger and bigger, and even wider, revealing itself to be a giant tower, and a large ring with arcs surrounding it. It looked majestic, and the grey and silver stones appeared pristine despite time’s trials and the fact that it was submerged for so long. 

The tower continued to rise up, and as it kept on ascending...

Dimitri flew back down from his blast off, and his whole body immediately crashed onto the tower’s wall, face first. The force left him too winded to push himself off, hence his body went limp and crashed downward to the sea below.

With all said and done, the building was completely up, and the King of Blue Lions sauntered by to Dimitri, who was able to get some semblance of consciousness from his fall. He boarded his boat’s back, and went on to behold the sight that was his next trial.

The Tower of the Gods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Dimitri better not be launched a third time, or else.
> 
> Anyways, with University stuff, I might find some difficulty writing down the next few parts because of time, but I assure you guys that I’ll still go on with writing this story.
> 
> Feel free to give feedback! :)


End file.
